According to an online dictionary, an attitude is “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior”. The attitude we have towards ourselves and our recovery is essential. It can support our path to sobriety or it can derail us.
For instance, according to the book Pathways to Recovery, two important attitudes to have regarding your desire to change is hope and courage. Both hope and courage can bring positive feelings to recovery and nourish the need to change. Hope is the feeling of having an expectation that an event will take place or that something will change. It can be a small glimmer of light in the midst of feeling depressed or trapped by life. Alongside hope, courage can provide the bravado and bravery to take the steps you once thought was not possible.
It’s common for a person to feel the need to escape from everything when he or she feels depressed, trapped, helpless, or hopeless. Certainly, these heavy feelings can contribute to regular drinking, which is how a dependency upon drugs or alcohol as well as an addiction can slowly begin. Not understanding how to face the magnitude of life’s challenges and not having the tools to cope with such debilitating emotions can make turning to drinking and drug use easy to do.