Dealing with Negative Emotions in Recovery

The process of recovery from drug and alcohol addictions can have involve many facets such as detox, creating better eating habits and overcoming negative emotions. Dealing with negative emotions in recovery can be a challenge, but through therapy the person can learn how to cope with the strong emotions they feel.

JAMA reported that only between 20 and 50 percent of people remain clean during their first year of recovery from an addiction. Stopping emotions from overwhelming you and impacting the goals of your recovery is important, but how do you deal with them?

Dealing with emotions in recovery will be explored in this article to help you come out on top.

Anger in Recovery

Anger is one of the strongest emotions and sometimes the most difficult to deal with during recovery. Managing emotions in recovery, especially anger, is crucial to the success of the treatment because strong emotions like anger can cause a person to act and think impulsively.

One way that anger can manifest during recovery is through resentment. The resentment can be from efforts being underappreciated or from something stemming from your past. Dealing with negative emotions in recovery such as anger can be done by first recognizing that you are experiencing anger. Feelings of anger can be overcome through accepting that you are angry and then using reason to bring about calm. Talking to another person such as therapist about your anger can greatly help – as opposed so bottling the anger up until you do something impulsive.

Fear in Recovery

There are many things that may fill a recovering addict with fear. What will happen when they return to work? Will their friends treat them differently? Will they be able to deal with intense cravings in their future?

Fear can be paralyzing and it can strip a person of the control they have over their life and actions. Fear is often based on things that have yet to occur or may never occur. Managing emotions in recovery, such as fear, can be done by focusing less on the future and instead putting your focus on the here and now.

Guilt in Recovery

It is understandable that as a person returns to a more normal way of thinking that they can have feelings of guilt about what they did while they were addicted. They may have hurt others emotionally or physically, or stolen from loved ones. The best way of dealing with negative emotions in recovery such as guilt is to talk to someone about it. Airing your guilt can help you to get over it. Don’t allow it to be a trigger, instead work on ways to make amends.

Loneliness in Recovery

Separating yourself from all of the people that used to be involved with your drug abuse can cause feelings of loneliness. While it is necessary to distance yourself from possible trigger situations with old friends, it does not mean that you have to be lonely. Dealing with emotions in recovery such as loneliness can take some time to dissipate as you enter into a new lifestyle. Through being active and open to new friendships, you can ease the feelings of loneliness over time.

Dealing with negative emotions in recovery is something that every recovering addict will experience. How you choose to deal with them is up to you. If you want to reach out to someone for help in dealing with some of the emotions you are experiencing during your recovery, contact us today at (877) 855-3470.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.

About the Author

is a proud alumni member of WhiteSands Treatment. After living a life of chaos, destruction and constant let downs, Mark was able to make a complete turnaround that sparked a new way of life. He is serious about his recovery along with helping others. At WhiteSands Treatment, we offer support to you in your homes or when you are out living in your daily lives.