Each of us is prone to addiction, no matter how powerful or independent we think we are. As beings who live a life of routine and habits, it is very difficult for us to let go of things, even if those things hurt us. If we suffer from an addiction, the only way to regain control over our lives is to seek recovery.
Check out these quotes that will present you new, thought-provoking ways of understanding addiction and recovery.
Sometimes you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell. – Carrie Fisher
Any addiction isolates us into a distinct world, which becomes a sort of personal hell that we cannot escape. Only by turning our backs to this world, we can hope to regain our freedom and to carve a different, new world for us.
Recovery is an ongoing process, for both the addict and his or her family. In recovery, there is hope. And hope is a wonderful thing. – Dean Dauphinais
Fighting an addiction is a long-term commitment. Recovery does not happen overnight, but it gets easier with each day that passes. Both the addict and his family realize that healing is each day closer.
Every addiction no matter what it is, is the result of trying to escape from something by going in the direction of a need that is currently not being met. – Teal Swan
Addiction is not really a disease but rather a symptom. It shows there is something bothering us and with which we don’t know how to cope. We search for an escape or a release and an addiction offers us all the illusions of freedom.
The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones. – Somerset Maugham
Giving up an addiction may be the hardest thing in the world. We are creatures of habit, which means that it is very hard for our brains to change their paths of thinking. It takes a lot of motivation but every good habit we pick up is a great investment in our happiness.
At the bottom of everyone’s dependency, there is always pain. Discovering the pain and healing it is an essential step in ending dependency. – Chris Prentiss
Any addiction or dependency can be understood as an attempt to hide our pain. We negate our suffering and we search for band-aids instead of understanding where our wound comes from and how it can be healed.
Sometimes we motivate ourselves by thinking of what we want to become. Sometimes we motivate ourselves by thinking about who we don’t ever want to be again. – Shane Niemeyer
When we let addiction take over our lives, we might discover that we don’t like who we’ve become. We start to dislike the person that addiction makes us be and that can be the motivation that leads to change.
Addiction begins with the hope that something ‘out there’ can instantly fill up the emptiness inside. – Jean Kilbourne
Addiction is the symptom of a suffering heart. Whenever we find ourselves unable to feel enthusiastic and passionate about life, we seek surrogates that can fill up the emptiness in our hearts. With addiction, what starts with hope ends with disappointment.
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. – Henry David Thoreau
There is something uplifting and inspirational about the fact that, through conscious decision, we are able to change our lives entirely and strive to become better. Nothing is set in stone, and not even a strong addiction has to dictate the rest of our lives.
We cannot, in a moment, get rid of habits of a lifetime. – Mahatma Gandhi
Our habits are part of who we are, that is why it is extremely difficult to get rid of them when we discover that they hurt us. It is a constant battle and we might lose some fights, but as long as we still try, there is hope.
Don’t let the past steal your present. – Terri Guillemets
Addictions chain us to our past, making it impossible for us to see a different, better future. When the past ends us stealing our ability to make the most of our present, we know that we must let it go.
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. – Robert Collier
Fighting an addiction might get discouraging at moments because it is a long, exhausting process. But as any other worthwhile pursuits, recovery is a sum of efforts, failures, and new beginnings. It is a journey where every day is crucial.
Your best days are ahead of you. The movie starts when the guy gets sober and puts his life back together; it doesn’t end there. – Bucky Sinister
People who suffer from the pressure of their addiction sometimes sabotage themselves by thinking it is too late to attempt a recovery. It is never too late for a new beginning or for changing the story of your life. Recovery is the true turning point.
Getting free from the tyranny of past mistakes can be hard work, but definitely worth the effort. – Steve Goodier
Addiction is the result of a series of past mistakes and it takes a lot of introspection and courage to admit and let go of it. The truth is that it represents a weight that it’s not worth carrying. Freedom is hard to achieve, but it is indispensable for true happiness.
Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Theodore Roosevelt
A key role in the process of recovery is the belief that you can do it. A strong faith, doubled by courage, acts as a great motivating factor. Half of the struggle is to believe that it is possible. Everything else falls into place.
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems you couldn’t hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the time will turn. – Harriet Beecher Stowe
Whenever we fight an addiction, it feels as though we are fighting against ourselves. This is the illusion that makes the struggle so exhausting. Those moments when we want to give up are the tests of our motivation.
Nobody stays recovered unless the life they have created is more rewarding and satisfying than the one they left behind. – Anne Fletcher
For recovery to be real and satisfying, addicts must create a new life for themselves, a life where happiness and love are possible. If they don’t learn to find happiness in their lives, they always go back to the illusory consolation of their addiction.
The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, but human connection. – Johann Hari
Addictions are often caused by a feeling of alienation, disconnection, and loneliness. In such cases, the best way to fight them is to seek to create meaningful relationships in our lives. When we feel loved and happy, our addictions no longer have power over us.
Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space. – Johnny Cash
Using your time and energy to hold on to the mistakes of the past is a destructive behavior. Past mistakes belong to the past, and the future is a blank page where we can design a life of regained freedom.
One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart. – Linda Poindexter
People who suffer from addiction have the habit of blaming themselves and thinking about themselves as being broken or weak. In their way to recovery, they need to regain their confidence and self-esteem.
An over-indulgence of anything, even something as pure as water, can intoxicate. – Criss Jami
Addiction is the habit of over-indulgence and it is important to realize that there are rarely good addictions. All addictions are bad because they are extreme. Our bodies and minds strive towards balance and disrupting the balance makes us miserable.
The priority of any addict is to anesthetize the pain of living to ease the passage of day with some purchased relief. – Russell Brand
Sometimes, addicts are people who try to tune down their sensibility. Being a sensitive and emotional person in a world such as ours can be painful, that is why addictions are so common. They present a relief from life’s overwhelming weight.
Pain in this life is not avoidable, but the pain we create avoiding pain is avoidable. – R.D. Laing
Being an addict means being trapped in a vicious circle. By trying to avoid their hidden pain, addicts cause themselves and their loved ones even more pain. The only solution is to accept pain as part of life and not seek to drown it in fake happiness.
Rising from the ashes, I am born again, powerful, exultant, majestic through all the pain. – Shannon Perry
In many ways, recovering from an addiction is like being reborn. Recovery gives a person the chance to reinvent themselves and to finally become powerful and passionate. From the ashes, a new and greater life is born.
Recovery is hard. Regret is harder. – Brittany Burgunder
It is very easy to succumb to an addiction, yet it is difficult to get rid of it. Although recovery takes a lot of time, energy, patience, and support, there is no worse thing than refusing recovery and living a life of regret.
Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. – August Wilson
Fighting an addiction is recognizing all the dark parts of ourselves and bringing them to light, so we can destroy them. The desire to fight our demons shows a strong will to live a pure and meaningful life.
I really mean when I say my biggest fear in early recovery was that I would never have fun again. The beautiful truth is that recovery has given me freedom and the confidence to go out in the world and leave my own mark. – Tom Stoddart
An addiction makes life seem fun and exciting, that is why many addicts are afraid to seek recovery because they don’t want a dull, boring life. The truth is that there is nothing boring about recovery. It is a liberating and inspiring thing that makes life regain its colors.
There are multiple pathways of addiction recovery and all are a cause of celebration. – William L. White
There is no standard procedure for recovery. Every heart has a different wound that is why the cure is never the same from person to person. No matter what path to recovery we choose, the only important thing is to stick to it.
When you slip up and let yourself back into the old, toxic patterns of thinking, forgive yourself before you try to fix yourself. – Vironika Tugaleva
One of the most important steps toward recovery is forgiving yourself for the past and giving yourself the chance to a new kind of future. We might fail and have to restart, bt fixing our lives is not a process that must be rushed.
My only choice was to fight my way out, even if I didn’t think I would make it. – Laurie Halse Anderson
Addiction can become so powerful that we feel we don’t control our lives anymore. The only solution is to believe that it is indeed possible to fight and eliminate it. Faith is the most important weapon.
If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime. – Benjamin Alire Saenz
Quitting something is disturbing for our routine, which makes it incredibly challenging. However, being able to quit for a single day shows that we have in us the power and motivation to quit for a lifetime because the first day is actually the hardest.
Recovery is something you have to work on every single day and it’s something that doesn’t get a day off. – Demi Lovato
Recovery takes a lot of commitment and dedication. We cannot take breaks or put a pause on it. It must be a daily struggle in order to become a reality. Sometimes we fail, but the crucial thing is to stand up again and go on like nothing happened.
