When you’re in the fog of drug abuse addiction, it’s not uncommon to burn bridges and hurt people who care about you. Whether you isolated yourself from relationships, lashed out at friends and family, or chose drugs over those relationships, it takes a toll on everyone involved.
Thankfully, a substance abuse treatment plan can help you on your road to recovery. Throughout your addiction treatment, it’s important to understand that the things you learn need to be applied to your everyday life. Being able to make amends for the pain you caused during your addiction can make a huge difference in your recovery. It can also bring your friends and family back to you, so you’ll have a support system.
For many recovering addicts, there can be a lot of guilt, embarrassment, and shame that goes with making amends. Let’s take a closer look at a few different tips you can use to rebuild these relationships.
1. Make the Commitment to Apologize
The hardest part of making amends with someone is finding the strength to show up and do it. It takes a lot of courage, especially if you had a falling out with that individual.
Sitting down face-to-face with someone is always the best option when you’re trying to apologize for the things you’ve done. In some cases, that might be too difficult. Writing a letter can help, and it may make it easier to organize your thoughts.
No matter how you approach it, finding the strength to talk with someone about what you’ve done and to ask for forgiveness is difficult. Being able to do it should give you more confidence in your road to recovery.
2. Apologize and Act on It
It’s important to be very clear in your apology to someone. Don’t try to skirt around the things you did. That will make you seem insincere. Instead, directly admit to the things you did and the pain you may have caused, and express your genuine sorrow.
It doesn’t stop there. Once you have apologized to someone, make a change. Act on your apology whenever possible. If something has been done in the past that can’t be fixed now, your sincerity may be the best thing you can offer. However, if there’s something you have done that can be rectified, make the commitment to do it.
3. Don’t Force Relationships
No matter how sincere you are in your apology, some people you were once close to may not be willing to forgive you right away. As a part of recovery, it’s important to respect people’s wishes when it comes to them getting involved in your life again.
An apology will almost always be appreciated, but that doesn’t automatically mean friendships and relationships can pick up where they left off. Be respectful of that and don’t hold grudges, as that can hold you back on your own journey to recovery.
4. Commit to the Right Treatment Program
Nothing shows a commitment to real recovery more than entering an intensive outpatient program. By entering a program like the one offered at BlueCrest Recovery Center, you’ll have all the tools and resources available to you to improve your mental health and put drug abuse behind you.
Making amends for the things you’ve done as an addict is a huge step toward a full recovery. When you’re able to let go of some of the guilt and shame from the pain you caused, you can focus more fully on your recovery and take control of your life once again.
