If you have ever found yourself in a group, therapy session, or even an institution focused on recovering from an addiction of any kind, the concept of self-acceptance is probably not new to you.
Acceptance of oneself and one’s reality is an essential building block of many recovery programs.
Acceptance is so important because those who struggle with substances or behavior addiction, are often prone to using denial as a coping mechanism to avoid facing their problems.
They may minimize, rationalize, forget, deceive themselves, or even repress the memories of their behavior.
Even when an addict recognizes that he or she has a problem, they may believe that they can control every aspect of their lives through simply wanting to change.
This is a dangerous place to be since there is much that we do not have control over in our lives.
This is why acceptance is so vital to the recovery process; before they can make meaningful changes to their lives, those struggling with addiction must first accept:
1. That they have a problem.
2. That they do not have complete control over every aspect of their life.
3. That they have limitations and flaws.
4. The reality of their circumstances.
Once the individual has learned to accept reality and themselves, they can begin to work on changing the things they can change.
The aim is not to encourage self-blame and guilt; instead, the aim is to move away from thinking that “I don’t like who I am” “I’m going to be on my own side while I create change”.
This is the power of self-acceptance; you allow yourself to change for the better when you plant yourself firmly in your present reality and decide to help yourself instead of bury yourself under doubt, criticism, and blame.
In recovery, when you accept who and where you are in the recovery process you appreciate the truth of what that means today while at the same time admitting that you need to change.
“Self-acceptance permits balance in our recovery. We no longer have to look for the approval of others because we are satisfied with being ourselves. We are free to gratefully emphasize our assets, to humbly move away from our defects, and to become the best recovering addicts we can be. Accepting ourselves as we are means that we are all right, that we are not perfect, but we can improve” (Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1985).