As the earth begins a new rotation around the sun, signaling the start of a new year, so does hope spring eternal for many as the calendar turns from 2020 to 2021. 2020 was certainly a difficult, unprecedented year. The coronavirus pandemic changed the lives and routines of everyone, and more people fell victim to addiction, mental illness, overdoses, suicides, and other deaths of despair.
So, perhaps more this year than ever, the beginning of a new year offers hope for us all. Hope in the form of vaccines, hope that our remembered way of life will return, and hope that one day soon we will get to see and hug our friends and family again.
However, for the individual that suffers from addiction, hope often seems too far away to truly grasp, and with 2020 in the rearview mirror, it may seem even farther away than ever. For those suffering from addiction, life is often a daily battle just to survive. Sometimes that’s physically, sometimes that’s mentally, sometimes that’s emotionally, and it is always spiritually. Addiction is a thick smog that covers everything it touches. Everything in the life of a person suffering from addiction is chained to the substances they use for relief, relief from physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain. A life like that, while painful to them and those they love, is often difficult to leave behind because while killing them, it is comfortable for them and recovery or sobriety often seems unattainable. They are used to this, and they fear the unknown of a life without substances. The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t kind of thing.
However, as the new year dawns and millions hope for a better year for themselves, for their loved ones, for their communities, and for the country, it is important to remind those suffering from substance use disorder and addiction that they too can find hope in the new year. They are not alone. They are not the only person who has ever felt this way- felt hopeless, felt worthless, felt unloved, felt undesired, felt uncomfortable in their own skin. There are millions of people who have felt like that, who have turned to substances, who eventually found that those substances caused problems that they couldn’t overcome, but who felt too trapped or hopeless to ever stop. Millions of people have been in that situation and recovered. Millions of people reached out for help. Millions of people got their life back or found an even better life of freedom and happiness in recovery. These people are not unique. That hope is available for anyone suffering from addiction who seeks help and healing.
As 2021 begins, let us remind all those who suffer from addiction, substance use disorders, and co-occurring disorders that they are not alone. That they are love and valued and worthy of a life worth living. Let us remind them that hope is available, and that recovery is possible. There is no better time to ask for help than the dawn of a new year, and there is no better time to make a healthy, positive change than today. Start now. The sooner you start and find recovery, the longer you will have to enjoy a new life of joy, happiness, and freedom. Begin today. Begin now. It’s a new year. It’s a new day. It truly can be a new you as soon as you’re ready to try.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at [email protected]. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.
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