6 Amazing Things Rehab Taught Me

Going into a drug rehabilitation program is a difficult but sure way to get back into the world, to get a grasp of our life, loved ones and earning a second chance overall. It takes hard work, motivation, and love. We also gain many "side-effects" that might not be as obvious but are as beneficial for ourselves as for everyone around us.

The new life that recovery brings along is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest, along with the people we care about the most. In order to do so, we need to be conscious of what we are doing and how we are doing it, as the new goal is to be truly happy with everything around us and ourselves

I learned many amazing things in rehab that have allowed me to grow as a person every day. Today I would like to share with you six of the many positive things I learned.

Take care of yourself

Think of your body as your house, or as a temple. The more organized, cleaned up, friendly and welcoming it is, the easier it will result for others to visit you and maybe even want to stay; more importantly, the most comfortable and happy you will feel when residing there.

When we go through rehab, the most important process is regaining what we lost. We recover the control we once gave up for an illusion and artificial feelings given by chemical substances. Having the control back enhances the importance of rehabilitation, and makes you realize that you deserve and require constant care. It is imperative, in order to live a full life, that you take care of yourself, body and mind.

Take care of what you eat

Going to rehab is not only about leaving behind the substances we once abused. It is also about embracing a new healthy life without addiction. Good health means a happier mind and a stronger body, which can also lead to a more successful life, ready to be enjoyed and challenged.

Learning to eat correctly while in recovery is an important step. A healthy diet will be the starting point towards a healthy lifestyle, which is the most important goal in recovery. It will also make you feel less tired, anxious or depressed, having a better diet helps ensure you always have energy and feel motivated and happy.

Acknowledge your past so you can start living your future

Acknowledging what we have done, the harm we have caused and the reasons why we did everything we did will lead the path to forgiving ourselves, this is where an immense and beautiful journey towards inner peace and love starts.

It is very important that we realize that the only things we need in our lives from now on are positive feelings and thoughts. We accept our past with all its wrongs but we embrace our present and our future, both making amends for what we might have done wrong and also setting up a path to live a peaceful future. We trust in ourselves and we trust in life to bring great things our way.

Pick up happy, healthy and stimulating habits

Like the butterfly effect, everything we do has consequences that we cannot imagine. What we do know, is that a set of good decisions is likely to have an outcome of good consequences.

By embracing new stimulating, healthy and happy habits, we are setting ourselves on a path that when harvested, will only produce good fruits for our life. As one thing leads to another, having a positive attitude and routine in life will have effects that will only be beneficial towards us and those around us.

Choose to be born again

Second chances in life are not common, and when you do encounter them, you need to make the most out of them. Even though your addiction could have taken a big part of your life and may have led you to do some bad things, recovery is the path you have encountered to turn all of that around.

Going into rehab has been your choice to start over, to be born again; you have chosen dedication, hard work, motivation, and love towards a better life. You will get to re-discover and shape again who you really are.

Rediscover what fun is

Having lived and dealt with an addiction can discolor life to the extent that it all becomes gray and dull. By opening our eyes again to a completely new world of opportunities and experiences that are not linked to substance abuse, we will rediscover the world and completely change our perception of life itself, how much we appreciate small gestures and little details.

Going through recovery has an endless number of benefits for everyone, former addicts, friends, loved ones, neighbors and every single person that lives within our social sphere. Adopting and embracing new habits and routines will have an excellent impact on our mind and body, which will always lead to a fulfilled and satisfying life worth living.

If you’d like to ask a question or would like to suggest another benefit we might have forgotten, feel free to leave a comment, we’re always happy to know what you think.

I’m Carl Towns a 28-year-old wanna-be writer; I am also a recovering addict in the path of self-discovery. My goal is to learn as many things as possible and to seize every single moment I live