Humility in recovery and success
When we speak about humility in recovery, the first thing that we need to remember is just how hand in hand these two aspects of drug and alcohol addiction go. It seems you can’t really have one without the other? The more we deal with people in addiction, the more we as counselors come to understand that this is oftentimes a disease of the ego and pride. Humility is the answer to both those problems. Carl Jung called it the deflation of ego.
alcoholrehab.com sums up the idea well. “Individuals who have escaped an addiction to alcohol or drugs will need to develop at least some degree of humility. If they fail to do so, they will be faced with a barrier to progress. The good news is that once people do begin to practice being humble, they will discover that it can bring substantial joy to their life. At this point, it can become a habit.”
People tend to wrongly equate humility in recovery with weakness. However it is defined as the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. The dictionary defines humility through this example as “he needs the humility to accept that their way may be better.” Handing it over in recovery is a first and very basic principle of the 12 Steps. If you don’t stop doing things the way you always do them, what possibly do you think is ever going to change?
A common problem in early recovery is that people come into drug addiction treatment centres, bouncing across rock bottom, and state they will do anything to recover, including drink Gorilla snot! Yet if they leave themselves unchecked they quickly begin to find fault with everything, and with everyone. You see, in the final analysis, they still want it their way, and their way is to drink!
Ultimately, if you really want to change your life, you must take a leap of faith. Yoda from Star wars famously propagated that, “You do or you do not. There is no try.” I tend to agree with him. Humility in recovery means that I as a person cannot make my life manageable, and I am humble enough to hand it over to someone or something greater than me. It means admitting my way is crap. People who don’t get humility don’t get letting go of ego, pride and control. In many ways it is just that simple.
Nothing quite sums up the concept of humility in recovery quite like the Serenity Prayer. Here it is!
The Serenity Prayer & humility
Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is. – Thomas Szasz
God
Grant me the serenity
To accept the things
I cannot change
The courage to change
The things I can
And the wisdom to know
The difference
The Serenity Prayer in Recovery
The first line says it all. You are speaking to God. Whatever perception you have of God is not important here. What is deeply profound when earning about humility in recovery is that you are communicating and calling upon something that is other than you, other than your ego.
Developing faith in recovery makes all the difference. You need to know that you will recover. You need to know that your life will have meaning and joy and peace. You don’t need to accept a religious ideology in recovery. Faith, assurance or conviction, whatever you want to call it is essential to your recovery. You cannot see faith now. It supposes belief. Believe in yourself and your recovery and manifest your own destiny!
Serenity Means Developing Equanimity Carl Yung once suggested that Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity (self-control).
Developing Faith in Recovery Developing faith in recovery does not mean that the individual is expected to adopt any particular religious ideas. It is referring to confidence in the idea that when people do the right things it will mean the right things will happen to them. There will be a great deal in life that the individual has no control over, but the fact that they are now trying to live a better life should mean that their life will get better. It is only by developing this faith and humility in recovery that the individual is able to begin developing some serenity.
The Serenity Prayer Empowers is not only about acceptance in drug rehab center‘s but also about empowerment. It reminds the individual that there are many things that they will be able to change, and that they should take action when such actions will improve their life. The prayer redirects the person, that grasps humility in recovery, and directs energies away from things out of their control and towards those things that they can control.
Increased Contact with the Spiritual Many people do view recovery as a spiritual path. This prayer reminds them that they are not taking this journey alone – they can rely on a higher force if they just have faith. When the individual hands over those things that are beyond them to a higher power it lightens their load significantly. This means that they can go forward with their journey feeling supported. The individual may not have the strength to overcome every obstacle in life, but their higher power will have this strength.
Serenity Power and Positive Thinking It suggests that the individual can have a positive impact on their future. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that thinking positively over and above humility in recovery alone puts the individual in a position where they are more likely to find success in life. Negative thinking (also known as stinking thinking) should be avoided in recovery because it can easily lead to relapse.
Serenity Prayer and Humility Saint Augustine advised: Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. In order for people to find success in recovery it is vital that they develop some humility. Yes, the meek shall inherit sobriety. This means that they have developed the capacity to accept their own limitations and weaknesses. Humility is the opposite of haughtiness. The individual makes the amazing discovery that by accepting their shortfalls they become stronger.
For more information on humility in recovery and to help someone who is suffering from drug addiction like heroin or marijuana, alcohol, sex, gambling or food addiction please email or call us +27 44 533 0330.