Guilt

[Jnjlwf]

I'm feeling some of the rls begin to subside ...not completely gone but a hair .. I was able to get out every day and accomplish something small... But the guilt has got me .. In a choke hold! I'm so guilt ridden for my drug abuse.. How could I lie to the people I love? I hate people that lie? How do I forgive myself ?

[Yesidid]

Guilt and regret - Biggies. I'm with Weaver. You cannot change the past and that hurts but you Can make it a chapter in your life. What you did does not define who you are! What you do from this day forward will be the ultimate test of who you are. After a big fight a few weeks ago, my family and I left for church as we do every Sunday.  My 14 year old son asked how can we go there and pretend we are all okay. My wife gave what I thought was the perfect answer "I am going not because I am perfect, I'm going because I am not." Regardless of you religious beliefs, the concept stands. You will wake up tomorrow and do the right thing with your head held high- not because you are perfect but because you are person in the making - becoming everything you ever wanted to be and more than you ever thought possible. That rough chapter in your past has meaning and purpose. One day soon you will be using it for a greater good.

[msdelight]

Hey I'm si glad you are going to meetings! Guilt is such a wasted emotion. God forgives you, we forgive you and so you must forgive yourself and move on. Walk ahead and DON'T look back! You are a good person who made mistakes.  Hugs.

[Merri123]

Several steps in AA are making an account for those that you hurt and making amends to those people.

So why don't you take this time to write a list of those you feel guilty about hurting and how you feel you have hurt them. When you are through this all you can talk to them slowly. After you are sober.

Even if you don't talk to anyone for a year, it will be very good for you to just write it down, get all your feelings out. Cleanse your conscious. Then you can move forward with a renewed sense of conviction to do this and a calm mind and heart.

Good luck. You can do this. Keep going.

[Jnjlwf]

Your comments are helpful and overwhelming .. I have gone to a meeting and plan on going tonight ...I also have a good dr. It just hurts...thank you all.

[Real180]

The guilt stinks but it's part of the healing process and ironically it shows that we are getting better... Like the others said -- don't beat yourself up about it..

All the best..

[tooter212]

Just let go of the guilt. He took it to the cross with Him so we may serve Him. Just look forward and learn from the past mistakes. This just gives us compassion for others so we may help them. I've said all that but I'm struggling with the same thing. I have to remind myself of why he went to the cross. God Bless

[Ldytaz]

dont swell on what was...begin on what is.U r on your way to a better life.Start it fresh,no lies no drugs..Most of all be true to u..Recovery is hard on all of us.If we dwell on everything we did to get that way ,we could never overcome and get our lives back..Keep going and good luck.

[ROSYouralright]

Quit beating yourself up over things you can't change!! Go forward with honesty & integrity. Are you attending meetings of any kind? That may help you to address and deal with some of the emotions that are bound to arise.. You are a new person in recovery!

[weaver71]

Tell the truth from now on, stay off drugs, new memories will make the drug use a chapter in life. Just keep working on being the best you that you can, you will eventually feel as good as you can. It was hard for me a long time. Now I have new dreams and inspiration, detox taught me what I can endure. Now that strength is used to make my and the life of the I love's life better. You will see, just give enough time and focus on how to be good today.

[ImNotAJetBike]

I want to share with you something I wrote recently about guilt and shame as it relates to addiction:

"Shame and guilt are easy to be overcome with because that’s how society and media teaches us feel. There isn’t a lot of sympathy or understanding for those of us that end up going down that road. Hell, there’s not a lot of sympathy or understanding for any kind of mental condition. We only ever see the worst of cases when it comes to people struggling with addictions. Hollywood actors and musicians who waste themselves away in the public eye are treated as cautionary tales when the truth is that, like I said, most of us suffer and struggle privately, and we mostly do so because of that lack of understanding."

Addiction is painful. It hurts letting it run your life and it hurts even more letting it go. You don't heal something that's hurting by inflicting more hurt upon it. While guilt and shame are understandable, they aren't conducive to healing. What you need to focus on is acceptance. We're all human. We have our moments of weakness. We make mistakes. The key is to learn from them and forgive yourself for them.

I wish you nothing but the best of luck. You aren't alone.