Developing Resilience:
The Continuation of Your Recovery

You have chosen to take the all-too important step to overcome your dependence on a substance. The road to recovery may feel long and extensive, though this can be a necessary process in order to address the effects of addiction and work toward a lifetime of recovery. After rehabilitation, you may wish to stay clean or sober for a lifetime. With the possibility of relapse running as high as 50 to 90 percent, it may feel like a long road to recovery. You may be asking yourself if you can manage to stay clean for that long? Recovery may be difficult to attain, though it is possible when you have the tools to achieve and maintain sobriety.

Meeting the Challenges of Recovery

“Picking back up” after rehabilitation can be an unfortunate, yet common experience. Relapse is a real challenge that you may face and need to stand up against if you wish to live a drug- or alcohol-free lifestyle. It may be nothing new, but it can be a beast that will haunt and tempt you while you are working to stay clean. It is, however, something that you can avoid with the development of resilience through the use of positive skills.

Resilience can be a mark of good psychological health. It will help you to rise above the challenges you may face and help you to find resolution. Positive problem solving can allow you to come out of adversity even stronger, instead of resorting to the use of a substance to escape emotional overwhelm.

Developing Resilience with Counseling

It has been said that the “brain is hardwired for resilience.” This can mean that human beings have an innate ability to adapt and survive the most difficult trials of life and even bouncing back stronger than ever. According to Bonnie Benard (2004) a “resilient” person is someone who demonstrates social competency, problem-solving skills, a sense of autonomy, and hope for the future.” Thus, resilience can be an invaluable ability that people working toward recovery may need to develop in order to maintain sobriety.

While every human being has that seed of resilience to grow and nurture, you may require help to develop it. “Social competency and problem-solving skills” are skills that need to be learned. Only then can you work toward having “a sense of autonomy,” and to have a perspective of “hope for the future.” This is why it can make a difference to have someone to guide you when you are recovering from addiction.

Finding Guidance

How do you develop resilience? While it may be there within you, it will need to emerge in order for you to become optimistic, strong, and maybe even find an unwavering determination to see the possibility of a better future. This can become possible with help of a qualified therapist. Therapy may help you to accept the things that you cannot change and empower you to change the things that you can. With your therapist, you can learn to rise above these challenges by staying hopeful and optimistic while learning powerful skills to manage your responses and/or to take action.

You can find that help from Carolina Counseling Services – Fuqua-Varina, NC. Licensed, independently contracted, qualified therapists/counselors can help you become more resilient in the face of these adversities. Call today and continue your journey on the road to recovery.

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