Confronting the Past

Our addictions are often fueled by our escapism and avoidance. What many of us are trying to escape and avoid, and distract ourselves from, is the pain of our past. We will do anything to avoid having to face it. It can be terrifying look at the painful things we’ve been through – the hurt and abuse, the loss and grief, the guilt and shame. Our pasts hold information about who we are and clues to how to heal our pain. When we’re ready to confront the past, we are able to learn valuable lessons about how to move forward and help ourselves along the recovery process. It takes a great deal of courage to begin to look at the past and face it head on rather than revert to all of the addictive and self-destructive coping mechanisms we’ve been using to avoid having to. We often feel we don’t have the necessary bravery, but we do. Believe in yourself. Affirm that you are strong, brave and courageous. Affirm that you have the power to heal yourself. Sometimes when we conquer the most difficult part of facing the past, simply looking at it rather than running from it, we open ourselves up to all kinds of painful, triggering memories. We feel vulnerable, and in this way our vulnerability is the doorway to our strength. It is strength, not weakness, to be vulnerable, to feel our pain, to let ourselves be overtaken by the sheer weight of it. There is strength in surrendering to it. We’ve grown accustomed to fighting it, resisting it, hiding from it and running from it. When we choose to be vulnerable, it requires that we aim for a new level of honesty we often haven’t been able to reach. It asks us to be humble, to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, to realize with an open heart that we are suffering and need help. Many of us are in denial about the traumas of our past. Many of us block them out and bury them so deep within us that we choose never to look at them or can’t remember them. For many, recalling the painful events and experiences we’ve lived through is something we simply don’t want to do. We would much rather avoid facing them altogether. Our avoidance has been one of the major conduits of our addictions, though, so to recover we have to do something new, as difficult as it might be. With help and support, we can confront our past and take back the power that it has had over us. Emotional healing is an important part of addiction recovery. We can help. Call 1-888-986-7848.