Yep, this is another blog post about emotions. Will it be the last? We can’t promise that. After all, emotions, addiction, and recovery are all closely related. They influence each other in complex ways. Emotions can contribute to substance use disorder, but rehab doesn’t necessarily eliminate these emotions. Recovery also has its share of positive and negative emotions.

So many times, we discuss negative emotions when we discuss addiction, treatment, and recovery. But positive emotions are also a vital part of these processes. Positive emotions can help a person become sober and stay that way.

People can use therapy as a tool to uncover these emotions. This might take some work. Recovering addicts might be so accustomed to negative emotions that they don’t remember what it feels like to experience positive ones. Or they might feel that they don’t deserve to feel such emotions because they believe that they’ve failed in different areas of their lives.

Therapists can help build their patients’ confidence. This confidence can help their patients discover that they are worthwhile and deserve to feel good. Therapists can help patients remember the positive feelings they’ve experienced and remind them that they’ll feel such emotions again.

Skilled therapists can encourage their patients to remember such positive feelings, especially when they encounter rough periods in their lives. These positive feelings might help sustain them, which could make them less tempted to use drugs or alcohol.

If former addicts have triumphed during these bad times without using alcohol or drugs, they should remember this accomplishment. This memory can create happiness, a sense of pride, and other positive feelings. People can then use these emotions to help them through other rough patches.

Positive emotions and actions create more positive emotions and actions. Acknowledging and dealing with emotions is a vital part of recovery and of life in general.