My 12 Step Store

It is so important to know about miracles and how they work. They happen every day to ordinary people just like you and me. However, they typically aren’t going to happen without a little push. For example, those who suffer from addiction aren’t usually going to be cured for the rest of their lives without at least some help and effort. Once the effort is put in, miracles can happen and people can stay away from the temptations, leading healthier and happier lives as a result.

Some miracles are events not explicable by natural or scientific laws. Such an event may be attributed to a supernatural being of divine intervention by God or gods, a miracle worker, a saint, a religious leader or spiritual person. Regardless of what form they take, the most important thing is to open yourself up to these miracles when they come around.

Miracles in Recovery 

Some of the best miracles of addiction recovery are when the people go on to do incredible things for others. Their lives take on new meaning and they want to become a mental health life couch or something else extraordinary. The people who are in positions of helping are those that witness the miracles more than anyone else. If you are on a 12-step recovery path, you may see miracles and be pushed towards your own.

In your darkest hour, you might find someone who is willing to talk to you and serve you, giving you the time and support that is needed to shed light into your life. You can learn so much from the devotion that others have. It’s capable of working its own miracle in your life, but you have to be open to it.

Miracles are different for everyone and it’s important to realize that they come in very different packages. Doors of opportunity will open at the right time. Someone who is working on addiction recovery may have a breakthrough.

Miracles Will Happen 

Those who have suffered from addictions and have come out the other side can become the ones who help others battling addiction. Think about it — who is better equipped to guide you through the 12-step recovery than someone who has already been there and stood where you stand now?

Miracles are when someone enters your life and knows how to help you. They know what to say to you to help you re-evaluate your life. Miracles are when you say no to the temptation. Miracles are when you stand up at a meeting and someone thanks you for sharing your story.

Expecting miracles is natural when you are looking at changing your life. They may be small or they may be earth shattering, but they are happening. You simply need to keep your eyes and ears open to what’s going on around you. The miracle you receive may set you on a brighter path for the rest of your life.

Changing a longtime habit is never easy, but recovering from addiction is especially difficult. Even as you maintain your sobriety with a 12-step recovery program, you have consequences to face and real-life responsibilities to fulfill. It’s easy to feel frustrated or defeated as those responsibilities pile up. Remember: a sober and busy life is still far easier and more productive than the apathy and destruction that any substance brought you. When you face difficult moments or struggle to keep your own promise to yourself, it’s important to nurture your spirit by stopping to appreciate the blessings you do have.

Honor Your Creator 

Spirituality is a humbling force for addicts. When you acknowledge that a higher power is responsible for creating your world and forgiving your mistakes, it gets a little easier to navigate the tricky journey toward recovery. Many 12-step recovery centers incorporate prayer into their programs, and you can follow their lead by saying grateful prayers for the improvements you’ve made during recovery. No matter what religion you follow, you will always be able to look upward and express gratitude for the world around you. 

Appreciate Your Family

You probably didn’t get this far alone. Whether your biological family or a circle of close friends helped you transition from addiction into recovery, those people deserve recognition for their loyalty. Thank your loved ones for their sacrifices, and stop to appreciate the privileges you have because of them. For example, if you’re staying with a friend or a former boss vouched for you professionally, think of them next time you want to complain about a minor injustice.

Celebrate Your Recovery

You’ve already taken accountability for your choices, and you deserve to reward yourself for approaching a milestone that some addicts never reach at all: the addiction recovery process. The moment you make a commitment to stop drinking, you become a member of a large and thriving community of victors. When cravings get bad or you can’t stop remembering past mistakes, take a moment to be completely present. Remind yourself that you were strong enough to stop drinking and get help, and be grateful for the progress you’ve made so far.  

Make a Choice to Be Happy

You know how quickly individual decisions can become full-fledged habits. Fortunately, you can use this to your advantage as you pursue a happier, more fulfilling life. As you struggle with personal loss, unpredictable emotions or even professional obstacles, make a conscious choice to notice beauty and pursue happiness along the way.

Substance abuse once stood in the way of your genuine happiness. Now that you’re in addiction recovery, it’s important to actively seek the people, places and experiences that make you happy. Gratitude grows, and the more you stop to appreciate your everyday life, the more gracious and positive your attitude will become. Optimism is contagious, so start by spreading it throughout your own life.

Gratitude is a beautiful feeling, but it’s more than just that. It requires action, and the more action you take out of gratitude, the more gratitude usually comes back to you. Feeling grateful is a big part of addiction recovery as you start to realize all of the beauty around you. When you take that feeling of being grateful and carry it with you into the world each day, you can pass it along to others who might be in need of a helping hand or a little bit of a boost. Although gratitude is a good thing, it requires work and there can be challenges that try to get in its the way.

Benefits of Gratitude

Practicing gratitude can change your life in a meaningful way. Studies have shown that people who go through the world with a grateful attitude experience higher levels of positive emotions, are more outgoing, more forgiving, and feel more alive. Gratitude can help you celebrate where you are in the present, kicking your addiction and working to becoming a healthier individual. It can help you block negative feelings and emotions that threaten your recovery, and even help you find a higher sense of self-worth and appreciation. 

Working toward Gratitude

Being grateful is easy when things are going well, but it’s a lot harder when times are tough. There will be ups and downs in any 12-step recovery, and some days you might not feel as grateful as others. Those days are when you have to work on your gratitude. You can keep a journal of the things you’re thankful for, remember good times, think about an upcoming event that you’re looking forward to, or call up a friend who can help you see the beauty in the day. It’s a conscious effort to become and stay grateful sometimes, but it’s well worth working toward each and every day.

Another way you can work toward gratitude is to help others. By understanding what others are going through, you can feel better about your addiction recovery, realize how far you’ve come and provide hope to people who could really use someone to talk to. Whether they’re on their own 12-step recovery journey or they have other concerns in their life, you can help show them a better day while increasing your gratitude at the same time.

Facing Challenges

In the midst of a 12-step recovery, you sometimes will face significant challenges to your gratitude. You might have a bad day, feel sick or end a relationship. You could lose a job or have to move to a new place. No matter what happens throughout your addiction recovery, though, it’s important to remember that you can get through anything that challenges you and keep your gratitude. Life is precious and beautiful, and there is always something to be grateful for. Some days you just have to look a little bit harder, but there’s always gratitude to be found.

Addiction isn’t a life sentence. Everyone follows a unique path toward addiction recovery, and if you still struggle with substance use, it doesn’t mean you will struggle forever. Every emotion you feel is temporary, and when you choose to be strong and focus on long-term rewards, it will get easier and easier to weather painful setbacks.   

Addiction Is Treatable

Even if you identify as an addict and plan to be in recovery for the rest of your life, you won’t necessarily have to deal with cravings or psychological turmoil forever. Addictions are completely treatable, and you have the power to overcome it.

Many 12-step recovery programs are legitimate medical treatment plans that treat addictions. Psychology Today defines addiction as a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable, but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Oftentimes, users are not aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.

Addiction and its consequences aren’t trivial or easy to overcome. However, receiving treatment is the only effective way to do it, and too many addicts never make that first step. But for those who do, it can be very successful.  According to research that tracks individuals in treatment over extended periods, most people who begin and continue treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social and psychological functioning. And at least one-third of alcoholics report they fully recovered with the help of treatment.

Recovery Is Always Possible

Stand on the productive side of these statistics and make a choice to start treatment or continue your recovery rather than dwell on the difficult challenges it will present. Your memories of substance abuse will last much longer than your cravings, but that can be a good thing as it helps you learn from your mistakes and move forward with your life.  

Addiction isn’t an incurable or inevitable disease. If you don’t want your future to resemble your past, you must admit that addiction has ruled your life for too long and turn toward a much more reliable and benevolent authority, such as a 12-step recovery center or a health care provider who can help. Treatment begins as soon as you want it to begin, and your success rate depends on your continued commitment to recovery.