Writing your letter is already a major sign of progress. For a time, it felt like all I needed in the world was you. For much of our time together, I felt happy and free of other desires.
Post-Separation Abuse Wheel
I deserve to live free from your grip, and I am determined to find joy and peace without you. I am excited to rebuild the lives of myself and my kids and discover who I am without you. Use the template as a guide to express feelings towards addiction genuinely. Honesty about its impact on the client’s life, including the moments when they felt scared or overwhelmed, is crucial. Children and youth are continuously learning new terms that best describe their feelings related to grief.
Step 5: Write confidently and use positive statements to affirm yourself and your new direction in life.
It was a big part of my journey that helped me feel like I closed a chapter and took a leap into my life in recovery. Fortunately for me, my world crumbled when I lost a close family member. That led to a massive binge where I used more drugs than ever over a week-long period. Needless to say, I felt emotionally and physically destroyed. I was violently sick, and, in a panic, I searched online to see if I was experiencing some kind of poisoning. I came across a blog on an addiction website that told me I had to get immediate medical attention.
Hardiness Scale
That said, I know I cannot blame you entirely for the way things have gone. Just as I am working to regain control in my life, I am also taking responsibility. I chose to start our relationship, and now I am choosing to end it. I know that saying “goodbye” to you for good will take hard work, but I am doing exactly that. I now know that goodbye letter to addiction template none of these feelings were genuine and that I was being manipulated throughout our time together.
- Addiction counselors often have their patients write a “goodbye letter” to their addiction.
- They understand the dangers and why they have to get off the addictive substance.
- As you know, today is my last day here at Company Name as a Position Name.
- They’ve made a contract with themselves to break up with the addictive substance.
- I want to tell myself, you surely have had a reason for this behavior, although I fail to convince myself what could be a reason justifying cheating!
- Second, it is a way to process your experience with addiction in a way that allows you to also accept that it is a part of your past.
- Dear addiction, I never thought in a million years that I would be writing this letter.
- This is the final goodbye as I do not wish to stay in touch going ahead.
- I had a lot of fun, but that fun slowly turned into my worst nightmare.
Whatever the case, the patient discovers this through writing the goodbye letter. By writing the goodbye letter, they can clarify what causes their addiction. This is part of the power of putting thoughts down onto paper. But it does more than simply uncover causes. By writing a declaration to break the addiction, the patient is creating a strong contract with themselves. I had to admit my complete powerlessness over you in order to release your grip on my existence.
What you consider good cannot exist without the not-so-good parts; both make you whole. Writing the Goodbye letter might seem hard. It is human to crave perfection and want to be fully composed, and this may rub off on your initiative to pen a goodbye note. The truth is there is no right or wrong way of writing it; most times, the inadequacy is just your mind playing tricks on you.
Acknowledge the Relationship and the Perceived Happy Moments
Get the help you need from a Halfway house therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. Hannah Rose, LCPC, is a therapist, writer, public speaker, and lover of all things caffeinated. I am not going to stop stepping into the light. I am not going to stop spreading a message of hope. Talking about uncomfortable things you feel can prove to be a daunting task.
- Through therapy, support groups, and personalized plans, participants rebuild relationships with family members and emerge stronger.
- But the feeling I get looking back at using drugs and alcohol at that time wasn’t all bad, although a lot of bad stuff actually happened if I’m honest about it.
- Closure is necessary for full recovery; it is a sacrifice you must make.
- Fortunately, at the bitter end of my addiction, I made a smart choice to go to treatment.
- Our rehab center in Palm Springs, California, offers a full continuum of customized care.
Connect with Ingrained Recovery for Exceptional Treatment Support
- So I’m totally open to sharing my Dear John Letter.
- But it does more than simply uncover causes.
- Whether you are starting or are far down your recovery path, you may want to consider putting your thoughts and feelings into words.
Therapists say this tool is effective because it allows you to connect to your innermost thoughts and feelings that might not come out in talk therapy. Second, it is a way to process your experience with addiction in a way that allows you to also accept that it is a part of your past. Every single member of staff, from the moment I arrived at the moment I left, treated me with dignity and respect.
