It’s pretty common to feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster during early recovery. Not only are you dealing with the physical and mental effects of withdrawal, but you’re also wrestling with emotions that you’ve likely repressed or attempted to numb during years of active addiction.

So what can you expect to feel? It differs for everyone and from day to day. For example, you may wake up feeling full of hope and excitement one day and overcome by fear and anxiety the next. A big part of a successful recovery is learning to understand, feel and accept these emotions without the crutch of drugs and/or alcohol.

5 Common Recovery Emotions Here’s a look at a few emotions you may experience during early recovery:

1. Fear: Recovery is full of unknowns, which can be scary. It’s also common for many people in recovery to struggle with a fear of failure as they work to rebuild their self-confidence.
2. Loneliness: It’s all too common to feel loneliness, or alone, misunderstood and uncared for, during early recovery. Loneliness is a well-known relapse trigger. And these feelings can exist even if you have loved ones who support you.
3. Stress and anxiety: By committing to sobriety, you’re committing to a big life change (for the good). And this can cause a real sense of loss, worry and anxiety. If your anxiety worsens or doesn’t eventually pass, it could be a sign of a co-occurring anxiety disorder and you’ll need professional help.
4. Anger: Anger is a pretty powerful emotion – and it can due some real damage to your recovery if left unchecked. Some experts even go so far to describe depression as anger turned inward – with feelings of hurt behind that anger.
5. Shame and guilt: With addiction often comes past actions or behaviors that may cause feelings of shame or guilt. And while it’s perfectly normal to experience these emotions, it’s detrimental to your recovery to dwell on these pesky feelings.

Managing Your Emotions at Manaka Path Makana Path’s specialized therapies address the whole person – not just the addiction. Our intense healing program will help you achieve physical and emotional sobriety while laying the groundwork for permanent recovery. To learn more, call today: 866-922-0776.