Isaac Lidsky started going blind at age 12. He believed he would live a sad and lonely life. Only when he chose to focus on his blindness not as a disability, but as something to be overcome, did he start seeing reality.
Viewing a Struggle as a Setback
We all have setbacks, some greater than others. Addiction to alcohol and/or other substances can be a significant setback. Relapse feels as though you have failed, and addiction feels much like a failure as well. At best, we view our problems as parts of our lives, not to be overcome, but to be tolerated. At worst, we consider our struggles as problems always haunting us.
Overcoming your struggles is possible. As children, parents, and teachers tell us we can do anything we set our minds to do. We put our minds to space and grand adventures. Then, life happens, and we begin to think smaller and smaller. We believe with every problem we face that we are more likely to live sad and lonely lives. Therefore, we seek comfort through behaviors we regret. We struggle, and we believe we are destined to continue to struggle.
The idea that we must continue to struggle is a lie. Our struggles are merely setbacks for the life we were created to live.
Our Struggles Can Be Overcome
Remembering the values we had as children, as well as our hopes for our children and families, we can begin to see ourselves succeeding. While we may not become president or a marine biologist as we imagined at the age of nine, we can still do big things with our lives. We can overcome our struggles, but only if we reframe our thoughts and views about our lives.
Accepting struggle is more manageable than focusing on taking on the recovery challenge. The first step to overcoming your problem is admitting the problem and declaring yourself willing to fight.
You can overcome all struggles, but only if you are willing to view those struggles as challenges to overcome.
Reframing Your Attitude
Helen Keller could have accepted her disabilities and allowed herself to live a life of insignificance and loneliness. Instead, she chose to view her disabilities as challenges to overcome. Helen Keller had a great support system, including a teacher who did not give up on her nor allow her to give up on herself. Today, we view Helen Keller with awe and reverence because she overcame so much.
You, too, can overcome the challenge of addiction to alcohol and/or other substances. Reframing your addictive behaviors can move you closer to recovery. Yes, you are experiencing a challenging point in your life, but this difficult time is but one moment in your life. You can overcome and move into the life you have always wanted. Your family and friends want you to have the life you want. There is no doubt you want to live a life free from suffering, so ask for help and reframe your struggle into a challenge to be overcome.
Gain Back Your Sight for Your Future
As explained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), setbacks are a normal part of life. How you approach those setbacks reflects who you want to be. As you pursue recovery, you will experience emotional challenges, physical challenges through detoxification and renewing your body to a healthier place, and social challenges. You will discover you need to change people, places, and things. Change is never easy, but change is possible.
You must develop resilience and a vision for your future. Success is more likely when you have a goal and a plan to achieve your goal. Do not view your addiction to alcohol and/or other substances as the end of your possibility. Instead, try viewing your history of addiction as a challenge and a history lesson from which you can learn and move forward.
Rarely do we develop a vision for our lives without experiencing a struggle. People leading full lives have often overcome something of which they would rather not speak. However, when they admit to themselves their problems and declare their willingness to push beyond those problems, they experience breakthroughs.
At Renaissance Ranch, we believe in your ability to overcome life’s challenges. We believe all destructive behaviors can be learned from and moved beyond. You have a choice to move forward and create a new vision for your life. Tackle the challenge of your addiction to alcohol and/or other substances and overcome your past. Do not continue to struggle, but focus on your life worth living. The life you want is waiting for you.
Understanding your struggle is essential, but wearying through that struggle will get you no closer to the life you want until you view your struggle with alcohol and/or other substances as a challenge to be overcome. You can overcome addiction. At Renaissance Ranch, we view addictive behaviors as challenges to fight through and overcome. We do not view our clients as powerless to the struggle of addiction. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction to alcohol and/or other substances, help is available. You do not need to struggle alone any longer. We offer support for every step of the recovery process through detoxification, residential, and outpatient services. We believe in the power of reframing our lives into something we can change. We offer clinically-driven and gospel-centered treatment. Please call Renaissance Ranch today at (801) 308-8898 and learn how to overcome the challenge of addiction to alcohol and/or other substances. We are here to help.