Why Is Gratitude So Important For Addiction Treatment?

Gratitude is good for you. It’s a scientific fact. An increasing amount of research is pointing towards gratitude as an essential daily practice for recovery and spiritual well being. When you are in a negative headspace, gratitude can take you out of it in a matter of minutes. A daily practice of gratitude keeps your ego in check and your perspective where it needs to be.

What Is Gratitude?

By definition, gratitude means “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” To be thankful means to be “pleased and relieved” whereas being grateful means “feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; thankful”. Gratitude and thanks go hand in hand. Gratitude is a feeling, an action, and a spiritual practice. Gratitude is the way you settle into appreciation for everything recovery has give in you in life, showing that you’re pleased with the way your life is going. When you move into gratitude, you recognize the immense gift which has been granted to you in recovery.

What Does Gratitude Have To Do With Recovery?

Recovery saves lives. Without recovery, many people would still be using drugs and drinking alcohol in harmful way. More realistically, many of them would be dead. Gratitude and recovery are an obvious pairing because in recovery there is a lot to be grateful for! The “relieved” part of the definition has everything to do with recovery. It is a relief that today, one day at a time, you don’t have to pick up drugs and alcohol. One day at a time, your life is saved from overdose.

How Can I Practice Gratitude?

Gratitude can be incorporated into the way you live your life. Every time you have an opportunity to say thank you it is an opportunity to express gratitude. Gratitude can be something you verbalize or something you internalize. Be mindful of the things you feel appreciative of, relieved by, and pleased about. Take a moment to notice your gratitude and express that to yourself. Many people keep a gratitude list or a gratitude journal each day to get them into the practice.

What If I Don’t Have Anything To Be Grateful?

This is where gratitude becomes a spiritual practice. If you are alive today, you have something to be grateful for. Life is precious and short. Living is a gift, even when circumstances are dire. It means you have an opportunity to change, grow, and impact the world in a positive way. Try ending each day making a list of just three things you can be grateful for. You’ll find in just a few days, the list grows on and on. Negativity is infectious, but so is gratitude!

Harmony Place combines science with spirituality to create a comprehensive and effective program to change your life for the better. For a private consultation and more information on our residential treatment programs, call us today at  1-855-652-9048.