If you have ever heard the saying “you are as sick as your secrets”, you may wonder how that really affects your recovery. You got sober to stop drinking and using, but now you are realizing that in order to better your chances of not relapsing, you must work a recovery program to the best of your ability. Rigorous honesty is the suggestion which does not mean that you have to tell everyone your business, although sharing your secrets with a sponsor or therapist will make you emotionally healthier.
What is it about these secrets that could make your chances of relapse much higher?
Not eliminating these deep dark secrets keeps your shame and guilt intact. You can never be completely free of all the negativity holding you back because you will hold yourself continuously in the prison of your own resentment. Every day that negativity festers on the inside, you are more apt to eventually pick up a drink or drug to cope.
Why do you need to open up the emotional baggage you have been carrying and figure out how to rid yourself of the painful parts of your sorted past? Airing out your dirty laundry means that you lightening the emotional load that allows you to be the best version of yourself. Carrying around anger, jealousy, disappointment, entitlement, fear, or dishonesty eats away at your soul instead of just becoming part of your story. By letting out your secrets to someone you completely trust means that you are opening up the door to be able to help someone else who may be feeling the exact same way you do.
Why do you need to unpack what you purposely suppressed in order to recover from drug and alcohol addiction? To keep your secrets locked up means that you are entertaining the potential to go back to where you came from. If nobody really knows what you are capable of, then no one can keep you accountable for the things that you need to be culpable for. Addiction has a track record for being cunning, baffling, and powerful, and this is where addiction thrives most, in the depths of secrecy, dishonesty, and isolation.
Spilling your secrets may seem daunting, but you can do this and you will definitely be relieved that you no longer have anything left to hide from. Freedom from bondage is an inside job that only you can force yourself to resign from.
Offering a full range of recovery and mental health services, Valiant Living offers “Expanded Recovery” to enrich our clients’ lives in mind, body, and spirit. Through evidence-based therapy options and the endless adventure of Colorado, Valiant fosters connection, encouraging clients to get connected to themselves, their peers, their families, and their higher power. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today for more information: 303-536-5463
