Emotions are the feelings you experienced throughout the day such as happiness, sadness, relief, anger, joy, and fear. It is often difficult for addicts to identify their emotions early in the recovery process, which makes it harder for them to feel comfortable, relate to others, and remain clean and sober. Unhappy emotions such as depression, anxiety, and anger are particularly problematic for addicts. Emotional distress or disconnect is one of the primary reasons we begin to drink, use or act out again.
Back in the good old days, you had an easy way to deal with painful, bewildering, and scary emotions such as depression, anxiety, and anger: have a drink, get high or act out. It was quick,
simple, and temporarily effective. You may not have known how to handle these feelings any other way, and you may have interpreted them as cravings. Mostly, you just wanted them to go away. Using drugs, alcohol, or acting out was a quick way to ease anxiety, blot out depression, and hide the pain. Now that you’re clean and sober, you must face up to and deal with these feelings when they surface during recovery and in daily living.
This can be difficult, for most addicts are out of practice dealing with emotions; they often have trouble even naming the emotions they experienced during their years of addiction. Now that they are in recovery, they are often unaware of the fact that they are experiencing normal, everyday emotions: instead, they think that what they’re feeling is a craving. Added to that is the fact that alcohol and drugs can change the way your brain works and scramble emotions.
Emotions occur whether you want them to or not. They are a normal part of being human, and they are neither good nor bad. Suppose, for example, an irresponsible driver cuts you off, forcing you to slam on your brakes to avoid an accident. Many people would become angry. That’s perfectly natural. But while some would scream, curse, chase the other car down, and cut them off to teach him a lesson, others would choose to turn to soothing music and let the negative emotions fade away. Unfortunately, people with addictions tend to have difficulty dealing with strong emotions without the help of their abused substance or activity. They often interpret the emotion as a signal to begin drinking, using or acting out, forgetting that they have a choice not to become angry, not use, or not act out. That’s why it’s vital for you to learn to recognize emotions as they arise and handle them safely. This is not easy, but it is certainly possible and necessary if you want to maintain your sobriety.
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest or pleasure in activities, affecting how a person feels, thinks, and behaves. It’s different from temporary sadness and can lead to various emotional and physical problems.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.
Anger is often a secondary emotion, masking deeper underlying feelings like hurt, fear, or sadness. These primary emotions are often uncomfortable to express directly, so anger becomes a way to protect oneself or deflect the pain.