Honesty In Recovery: Why is It Important?

March 26, 2021

Harmony Place Team

Guilt and shame are common themes during recovery. Of course, it’s embarrassing to admit to oneself that there is a problem. Also, people might feel ashamed at the fact that they ended up in the situation in the first place. No matter how someone arrives at an alcohol or substance use disorder, there is no shame in caring about honesty in recovery.

It’s difficult to admit to the extent of a problem, especially when it is self-inflicted. Those struggling with honesty and recovery must remember that alcohol and substance use disorders are health disorders. As the old adage goes, the first step is admitting that there is a problem. The second step is maintaining that commitment to honesty throughout recovery. Without integrity, a person struggling with addiction might slip back into self-destructive behaviors.

Not only do recovering individuals need to accept the truth of the situation, but they also need to make sure not to lie to those around them about it. Shame largely comes from the feeling of being judged. The fact is that recovery is only possible by being honest to oneself and the people that are trying to help. Shame is temporary, but sobriety can last a lifetime!

Why Is Honesty In Recovery Necessary?

Maintaining honesty in recovery is important for individuals who are working to overcome substance abuse. Sometimes, it is more important for the recovering individual than it is for those around the person. While it’s true that recovering addicts must be honest with others, they must be honest with themselves first and foremost. There are several reasons why honesty and recovery should go hand-in-hand:

It Gets Easier Over Time

Lying is a bad habit. People often do it in an attempt to make their lives easier. Anything done habitually becomes a normalcy. The same can be said about lying; The more people lie, the easier it is to do it and the more likely they are to do it. Plus, lying enough can make a person believe their own lies.

Honesty in recovery is crucial to getting through an addiction. It’s better to admit the extent of addiction instead of lying about it. Over time, telling the truth becomes habitual. The more a person exercises honesty in recovery, the easier it gets.

Everyone Deserves Love and Respect

Another truth is that everyone deserves love and respect, which includes people in recovery. Taking the plunge to dive into radical honesty and recovery is a form of self-love. It’s easier to wallow in self-hate and tell lies to oneself about how he or she will never be able to overcome their addiction.

Many people struggling with an addiction feel hate toward themselves. They lie about the fact that they could decide to get treatment and get help. They lie to themselves about what they’re capable of. Recovering individuals must admit that they’re worthy of getting better and just need to take action to do so.

People Owe It To Themselves

Being honest during recovery isn’t an easy task. In fact, it takes a lot of work and self-awareness. However, every person struggling with an alcohol or substance use disorder owes it to themselves to be shamelessly honest. The reason why is because they have already put their body and mind through so much with substance abuse.

People with an addiction must recognize the constant harm they do to themselves when resorting to drugs and alcohol. The body and mind have gotten them this far in life, so why not give them the love they deserve? Making the decision to admit the full extent of the problem is what people owe to themselves.

It Can Lead to Quicker Recovery

Putting off treatment and not being honest to oneself is dangerous. It can lead to a worse addiction, which can turn into deeper health problems. Many people die every year from drug overdoses. Some of these people ended up in this situation because they weren’t honest about how bad their addiction was.

The moment people suffering from addiction decide that they have a problem they need to take care of, it puts them closer to recovery. Plus, it keeps them healthier than if they were to continue to abuse drugs and alcohol. A moment of clarity and honesty is a moment closer to recovery.

Why Is Honesty in Recovery Important to Friends and Family?

Again, individuals must be honest with those around them as they work through recovery. Addiction doesn’t just affect the struggling individual; it also impacts a person’s family and friends. This makes honesty and openness even more important as individuals recover from addiction.

People Need a Support Network

Everyone needs a support network. While the trained staff at an addiction treatment facility acts as a support network, there is nothing more powerful than the support of friends and family. Honesty and recovery are much easier when recovering individuals make the active decision to be honest with loved ones about their health.

That said, people going through recovery don’t need to shout it to the world about their relationship with drugs and alcohol (unless they want to). Yet, telling a few close friends and family members makes them a part of a strong support network to lean on when going through a dark period.

Being Dishonest Can Ruin Relationships

Alternatively, being dishonest during recovery can ruin close relationships. Addiction is known as a family disease. It hurts everyone around someone who has a destructive relationship with drugs and alcohol. Strong bonds are maintained through trust. Boundaries are too.

The moment that trust is broken by lying about recovery or the extent of addiction is when a friend or family member may decide the relationship isn’t worth it. In the end, everyone needs to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing. Committing to being there for a person struggling with addiction when they can’t commit to change is a one-sided exchange that will leave both parties hurt.

It Stops Family and Friends From Enabling

Sometimes friends and family members can make a person’s addiction worse. That’s not to say that they cause it in any way. The fact is that drugs and alcohol are extremely addictive. Their chemical make-up is what is the cause of addiction.

However, actions like giving a recovering individual money to spend and calling out for them will only lead to a deepening addiction. A part of honesty and recovery is letting loved ones know how they’re enabling a person struggling with alcohol or substance abuse. Even though it may hurt them, it would hurt them more to see a person they care about struggle even more.

They Want to See Their Loved Ones Succeed

At the end of the day, friends and family hurt the most seeing the one they love going through an extremely dark period in their life. Not only does staying honest during recovery create a strong support network, but it’s also important because friends and family want to see their loved ones succeed.

People struggling with an alcohol or substance use disorder may decide to be dishonest about it because they don’t want loved ones to worry about them. The supposed embarrassment isn’t worth the loneliness that comes with staying silent about an addiction. The sooner people struggling with addiction talk about it with loved ones, the better the chance they have to overcome alcohol and substance abuse.

Why Is Honesty In Recovery Important to Addiction Treatment Staff?

It’s necessary to be honest during recovery to the treatment staff at an addiction treatment facility. An addiction treatment staff is in charge of dictating what programs and medication a patient will take when they are recovering. Lying about the extent of an alcohol or substance use disorder can set back treatment and make it less effective.

It Helps Treatment Be More Successful Overall

Being honest with the team about mental health is equally as important. Mental illness and addiction are common. Staying silent about the extent of either will make treatment less effective and can even be dangerous for patients in recovery. If they struggle with both, a medical professional on the treatment team can recommend co-occurring disorders, or dual diagnosis, treatment.

They Can Change Treatment If Necessary

Just like any medical condition, treatment often needs to be adjusted. This may mean adding additional addiction therapies to a program or adjusting the dosage of medication. Addiction treatment specialists can only properly help patients who are truly exercising honesty and recovery.

If a person in recovery feels that his or her program isn’t working the way it should, they shouldn’t be dishonest about that. Treatment may not work at first but can work completely with minor adjustments.

They’re Not There To Judge

Those suffering from addiction may lie about how they are doing because they are afraid the addiction treatment staff will judge them. What such people must keep in mind is that the staff at these types of facilities have seen it all. Also, addiction treatment specialists understand that an alcohol or substance use disorder is a medical condition.

On top of these reasons, addiction treatment staff largely work at these facilities because they want every patient to succeed. The more honest patients are with them, the more they can help the patients. Anything they suggest always comes from a place of care, not judgment.

Don’t Underestimate How Freeing Honesty In Recovery Can Be

At first, honesty in recovery is difficult. When a person is struggling with an addiction, it’s common for them to tell lies. Just like any habit, telling the truth to oneself and others is a muscle that must be constantly flexed. Honesty and recovery get easier over time with the right help. Harmony Place helps patients find their truth and peace with it. Contact us now to learn more.

Chris P

I've been to 12 rehabs over the last 20 years and NO other place has touch like Harmony Place! From the owner right down to the cleaning lady, everyone here is kinda and warm. God has blessed this place and I feel privileged to have come through here. I recommend anyone who is going through their struggle with mental health or substance abuse to pick up the phone and come! You won't regret it!

Joseph S

This place is incredible, kind, loving, patient, rigorous, educative, caring and the best place for recovery. Ill be part of the alumni crew

Monica G

I had very good experience at Harmony Place From first day I came, staff was very kind and make me feel welcome and safe. Everyone was friendly and always try to help me. The therapists are very good and caring. They listen to me and help me understand my problems better. I learn many things from them and feel stronger because of their support. The nurses also very nice and professional. They always check on me and make sure I am okay. Food was good and facilities were clean and comfortable. It help me feel more relaxed and focus on my recovery. Management also doing very good job. Everything was organized and you can see they really care about patients. I am very thankful for this place and all the people who work here. I recommend this center to anyone who needs help.

Denton

Awesome place great people u want to check this place out most definitely 😜

Tyler

A treatment center where the owners truly care about your recovery and after care.. cannot recommend enough

Jodana S

If you want to detox painlessly this is the place! The staff is A1. They truly care about us. The groups are awesome . Residential is crazy awesome! You live in a mansion. With a private chef who makes the best food. Community meeting that gets results fast, they care about your opinions. Pool and Jacuzzi are beautiful. If your struggling with addiction this is the house you should come to. I LOVE HARMONY PLACE!!!!! Thank you to all the staff they go above and beyond to make this experience comfortable therapeutic. Don't spend another day in your addiction come to Harmony Place right now!

Cass

I’ve been to 4 treatment centers before Harmony Place, and I can tell you without a single doubt that this is the absolute best by FAR. The past ones were luxury Residential Treatment centers that just treated every single client the same not tailoring to each individual, and were basically just in it for the money, dropping the ball each time. I can also tell you that I’ve never met the CEOs, but here, David comes to the facility almost every single day, and makes sure he get to know every individual here. He is incredibly kind, and was even willing to transfer me to another facility with a higher level of trauma therapy due to me having a lifetime of trauma and PTSD that just is going to take a long time to tackle. He truly cares about all of the clients having all of the tools that we need before getting released to the real world. No more of other CEO would ever be willing to miss an opportunity at making more money and even paired with my IMPECCABLE case manager to find a different facility that was more trauma based. My case manager, Sam, goes absolutely above and beyond in every single aspect. She makes sure you have a smooth transition into aftercare, provides out of this world advice when it comes to sobriety, and takes the time out of her day to make sure that FMLA and short-term disability are completely taken care of during your stay. I’ve never met a case manager that could ever compare to Sam. Ever. I feel lucky to have met her, genuinely. Marissa, my therapist, is SO SWEET, actually listens to you, and provides advice and therapy tailored to each individual’s experience. She’s handled every mood I’ve been in, never judged me, and allowed me to feel safe enough to tell her things I’ve never told any person or therapist in my 29 years of life. I’ve been going to therapy for the past 15 years, and none of those therapists even come close to how amazing she is. I’ve been to 4 other treatment centers in my life and none even come close to Harmony Place. The facility is clean, organized, and high-end. I would recommend Harmony place to my family, friends, and anyone seeking treatment. I feel SO BLESSED to have landed in their hands. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN THE CLINICAL STAFF BEYOND WORDS. I love you guys ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. I feel more confident than ever in my Recovery.

Gabe H

Where to begin.. Harmony is a place that will forever be a part of my story as the first step in my recovery journey. I’m so grateful for this program. The staff is very friendly, and many of them understand what addiction is like, for they themselves have recovery stories of their own. They have an awesome team of therapists, group facilitators, nurses, RA technicians, medical and health professionals, a wonderful case manager for aftercare that cares deeply for your next steps; making sure you are set up for success. They have a wonderful admissions team (shoutout to Marielle who was so kind and understanding of my messed up situation). Everyone is very relatable and friendly. They invest heavily in the importance of diet and nutrition too - there’s a full time professional chef. I gained all the weight I lost and wanted back in the first two weeks lol. On top of the intensive programming they do throughout the day, they take us out to experience various kinds of outside groups to get a taste of the real world, and also take us on social outings during the weekend. If you’re serious about getting better this place will meet you where you’re at and prepare you to launch with a renewed mind and heart.

Monica P

I can't begin to explain just how amazing Harmony Place is. In fact, when we sit down with the owner, Jeff, and clinical director, David, on Monday mornings to have a house meeting, they ask us what they could be doing better. A bigger blender for smoothies is the ONLY thing we could come up with. Let me begin by addressing some negative reviews. If you notice many of them are from people, or are referring to people who have been asked to leave. It is because of harmony places protection of their clients that provide ideal conditions for healing and progress. There is a screening process that it is implemented where they make sure the clients they admit are ready to start a life of sobriety. Some people slip through the cracks. Some people find out a few days or weeks in that they've changed their minds. Some are inappropriate and break rules. It happens. When Harmony Place ask people to leave, It's because they are protecting the people who are here that want treatment. In effect, they're providing exactly what I needed for a genuine start to recovery. When I began my search for a treatment center, my requirements were that the facility's provide an environment in which its residents all want to be there and that it is ethically ran. I got that and so much more at Harmony Place. As well as a structured routine, they also provide a confidential and nurturing environment where one feels safe and where profound healing can begin. Their program offers a sound foundation where further progress in sober living is almost guaranteed. In group meetings, we enjoy getting to know ourselves again and with deeper understanding about why we are the way we are. We are provided with skills to handle real life. Its here that I've come to understand that its not addiction that has driven me to make a mess of my life. It is the trauma that I endured and not processing it correctly that lead to poor thinking patterns that opened the door to addiction resulting in poor life management. So we start at the bottom. Trauma. They help us understand that trauma has led to our own toxicity, what that trauma looks like and how to get out of our own way. Process groups help us learn how to take accountability and foster healthier relationships. I learned here that changing the way I think is absolutely possible and imperative to the healing process. Harmony Place offered me hope when I previously felt I was unfixable and a support team that truly loves me. Even after I leave here, I have contacts that almost demand I keep in touch and an alumni meeting where I can return to the facility on Thursday nights. I wasn't a 12 stepper when I came here but my first experience with it was not one where I was ready to stop using. I understand now that the steps will work for me. It's certainly is not the only modality that they teach. In one group, we are provided an opportunity to sit with a recently retired medical doctor to just ask questions. Another is with a nutritionist. There are a handful of people IN recovery that come to lead groups that are all accredited highly specialized where I felt understood and not judged. The knowledge I have gained here is life changing. It is also versatile and relatable for all types of people. my favorite group was dialectical behavioral therapy. There are breathing classes and sound bath groups and I started doing yoga in the morning. There's a dharma meeting they take you offsite that focuses on Buddhist values. A fantastic onsight chef provides three meals and you can have special requests. We facilitated our own Movie nights during free time. I cant forget to mention you get your own one on one meetings with your assigned primary therapist and there is comprehensive medical support complete with 24/7 nurses and a doctor that shows up throughout the week. If this is what you need to recover and you have mediCAL, cancel your mediCAL and get insurance Harmony Place accepts if you can. There are people to help you with that as well. Just call. Many, many thanks to the staff. ✔️Another life changed.🙏

Cody B

This is such an amazing place truly changed my life. I would recommend this place to anybody if they’re looking for a strong recovery house that truly cares about your recovery and not about just money So if you’re ready to change your life, don’t miss out on the greatness of harmony because this place is where it’s at