The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, is a day that we celebrate across our nation every year. Independence Day celebrates our unity as a country and our freedom from the British Empire which are both great reasons to celebrate! But, if you’re in recovery, there is a more important Independence Day – the day you stood up for your independence from the influence of alcohol and drugs in your life.
Achieving independence from substance use is incredibly difficult and one that many people will struggle with throughout their lives. But for those in recovery, there was a turning point, a switch, a moment when they decided that they were no longer going to live under the thumb of alcohol or narcotics. For these brave individuals, that’s their Independence Day.
The day you make up your mind to enter addiction treatment and get help is the day you choose to fight for your freedom. On that day, you stand up to oppression that substance use has had on your physical, mental and emotional self and you choose to fight for yourself and everyone else in your life. Your substance use is not a moral failing and having struggled with addiction in the past does not define your future.
There are a few different reasons to mark and celebrate the day of your freedom from the chains of addiction:
-It serves as a reminder of exactly how far you come
-It provides you with a sense of “accomplishment” and can improve self esteem
-It gives you something to celebrate which can be motivation to keep pushing forward
-It holds the potential to spawn other healthy lifestyle habits as a result of this big life change
If you have the date of your ‘turning point’ written down, add it to your calendar and celebrate it each year. If you do not, use the Fourth of July to remember how far you have come, and to celebrate your own independence and freedom that you now have.
