By Susan Finley, Ed.D., NCC
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”
–Steve Maraboli
Learning from past negative experiences including substance use and addiction can actually serve as your greatest asset when building a life free from drug and alcohol use. The cultivation of survival skills such as resilience and assertiveness prove useful when facing future adversity.
RESILIENCE
Resilience is the silver lining stemming from fearlessly facing and overcoming life’s challenges. Defined as the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens, resilience literally means “to return to its original shape after an object has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.” Once an individual sees that they have survived their addiction or use of substances as a means of self-medicating, they will be able to draw upon that knowledge, thus applying it to current life circumstances.
ASSERTIVENESS
Defined as the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive, assertiveness is a learned skill and mode of communication. Assertiveness is not easily attained, especially when the default emotion may stem from pain and aggression. Feeling misunderstand, fearful, and isolated all serve as hurdles to overcome when building assertiveness. The goal is to speak your needs, set appropriate boundaries, and care for yourself acting as your own loving parent. We do this as human beings by putting our needs in their proper perspective and voicing in an appropriate manner when these needs are not being taken into serious consideration.
It is not enough to stop (fill in behavior). Discontinuing behaviors that are destructive to one’s self and others leave an individual with a void that must be filled. If that void is not replaced with a healthy behavior, it will either return to the unhealthy one or worse, be occupied by one even more harmful. The entire process requires a level of dedication to getting better by making changes that will result in desired results. This takes time, patience, and the willingness to ask for guidance and assistance. You never have to do anything alone when you seek help from others.
How to Contact Passages Addiction Treatment Centers:
Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™
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Susan Finley, Ed.D., NCC is an educator, published researcher, and social media consultant. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC) (e-therapy) and Suicide Prevention Instructor (QPR) under the National Board for Certified Counselors.
