Most of us will remember the one person who said it looked stupid. Practicing gratitude is a way of pushing against our natural tendency to dwell on the negative. Gratitude is a kind of emotional glue that helps positive things stick in your mind. Perhaps most importantly, from a medical perspective, they also had lower levels of inflammation markers. Inflammation is a major risk factor in the progression of heart disease and keeping it low is crucial for heart health as well as other dimensions of physical and mental health. Clint Stonebraker has worked in the substance abuse treatment field since 1987 and has been the owner of The Insight Program since 1993.

When importance of gratitude in recovery see others practice gratitude, or are the recipient of someone’s gratitude expression, it often leads them to begin practicing gratitude themselves. This can have a snowballing effect that can brighten hundreds of lives in a short time. Gratitude is important in addiction recovery because it helps us to be thankful for sobriety. It changes the pathways in the brain and trains us for a growth mindset. Call our admissions specialists who can help you find the best treatment center for your needs. If you need help with drug abuse or addiction recovery, we can help you.

Why is Gratitude Important in Recovery?

You can begin discussing your treatment needs with one of our addiction professionals. Following an initial evaluation, you’ll be able to start designing a personalized treatment plan that supports your recovery needs. In one study, participants were asked to write a letter of gratitude to thank someone for a kind action that they had performed in the past. Immediately after expressing their appreciation, the participants were happier. One appreciative thought can improve your happiness by 10%. The boost in your well-being may last up to four weeks from a single act of gratitude.

But one practice that is essential for recovery is simpler than that. Gratitude in recovery is a mindset that you can cultivate to transform your life and improve your chances of staying sober. Self absorption can be a huge problem for people in recovery. When people are addicted to alcohol or drugs, they will spend most of the time only thinking about their own needs. When these individuals become sober, they may continue to be preoccupied with themselves.

Recovery Symbols to Celebrate Your Sobriety

https://ecosoberhouse.com/ is more than just mailing a thank you letter. To practice daily gratitude means viewing the world through a lens of appreciation. This becomes evident in your interactions with others throughout the day. A grateful attitude propels you through life, sporting a compassionate heart versus a chip on your shoulder. In fact, integrating gratitude into your daily life becomes, in essence, a reflection of the spiritual awakening you’ve experienced in recovery. Thankfully, nurturing a daily gratitude practice is simple, and it can be woven into your day-to-day life.

On the other hand, feeling connected to others makes you more resilient. It reduces stress because you can share your feelings with sober people and you have more resources for solving problems, even if you never have to actually ask for help. No one wants to tell their family or 12-step group they slipped up and have to start over. Often, that peer pressure is the nudge you need to stay on course. In addition to receiving regular counseling, the participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group wrote gratitude letters–which are discussed below–one group wrote about their thoughts and feelings, and the last group didn’t write anything.

Express gratitude to others.

Instead, focusing on the best qualities can help us maintain a positive attitude, develop patience, and be respectful of others, even when it’s not easy. An offhand “thanks” is better than nothing but it’s not terribly meaningful. It’s much better to be sincere and specific, even when thanking someone for something relatively small. Regardless, they had significant improvements in mood that lasted for months.