Honesty
Honesty is vital in the recovery process and it is a key factor in helping individuals and their families address and work through issues caused by the addiction. By being honest about one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions, individuals in recovery gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their behaviors, which is instrumental in making positive changes and achieving lasting recovery.
Addiction takes a toll on relationships, which is one reason honesty is a critical component of the recovery process and is essential for building trust and repairing damaged relationships. Both individuals in recovery, and their families, must work on being honest with themselves and each other in order to create a foundation for healing and a better future.
What a person says should match up with action. Words may express a desire for change, but behaviors reveal what a person is truly willing and able to do to achieve that change. By paying attention to both words and actions, it’s possible to get a more accurate understanding of where a person is at in their recovery journey and what they may need in order to make progress. Honesty is a key component of this process, as it allows individuals and their families to be more transparent about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and to take a more honest look at what is needed to achieve lasting recovery.
If a resident says they are willing to go to any lengths to get sober and to stop hurting their family, but at the same time they continue to break rules, resist suggestions, and make excuses for their behavior, we know instantly that their behaviors have better information than their words.
This is where honesty becomes vital.
Individuals in recovery and their families must work on developing honesty as a practice. By being more honest with themselves and others, they gain a greater sense of self-awareness which helps to improve communication, build trust, and promote healing in relationships. By being genuine and transparent in their interactions, individuals in recovery gain self-esteem and learn to communicate their emotions in a more balanced way. This is especially important for families, as honesty can help to create opportunities for healing and can help everyone to get on the same page in terms of their goals and what they are willing to do to achieve them.
We want our families to mean what they say and say what they mean. Most importantly, we want their behaviors to match up with what they say they want, and with what they say they are willing to do.
It is our mission to help the entire family heal and recover from addiction. We use transparent and bottom line language to communicate with residents and their family. By being upfront about the challenges and expectations of the recovery process, everyone can be better prepared for the journey ahead and can more fully commit to the work that is needed to achieve lasting recovery. Honesty is a key component of this process.
We expect that the journey will be long, sometimes difficult, and incredibly rewarding.
The sooner we can help our residents and families match their behaviors to the claims they make about what they want, the sooner we can help to create a life of excellence beyond sobriety.
All we really need to make this start…is rigorous honesty.
