Guilt and Forgiveness During Recovery

This is a topic I've wanted to write about for a while now. When we used to lead group sessions this was a topic that would come up quite frequently. Reentry into a normal kind of life, takes a lot of work and there is a ton of guilt and forgiveness to work through. Guilt and forgiveness is actually something that both sides of the recovery discussion have to deal with. When I say both sides, I mean the person who is dealing with the addiction itself and the people that the addiction has harmed.

Addiction destroys lives to the point where family relationships, careers and everything in life is damaged.

Dealing with the guilt and forgiveness personally is the most important first step. But, once you're able to start moving past the guilt into the world of forgiveness, it's time to start thinking about things differently. The guilt is something you deal with personally. The forgiveness requires other people in the equation - undoubtedly the hardest part.

You may have many transgressions you want to seek forgiveness for - but the people you have harmed are the only ones who can grant this. And, you have to make sure they are ready to do so because if they aren't it's going to be a hard, long road to try and traverse.

To your recovery,

Live Rehab