[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It can be uncomfortable to openly acknowledge your accomplishments. I’m Jewish, but I remember hearing at an early age that pride is one of the seven deadly sins. That concept is part of a cultural understanding of how—or really, how not—to express pride in yourself.
But I strongly believe there is a place for feeling good about your achievements. Being proud of yourself doesn’t have to mean feeling superior. Pride can be a humbling experience. Recognizing you accomplished something you never thought you would can be a gift.
This is one reason people in 12-step fellowships receive chips to commemorate various lengths of continuous sobriety. These tokens are a concrete symbol of personal progress, but they also connect you to the people in your fellowship. It’s good to have something concrete to point to, even if it’s a journal entry you write each soberversary. I haven’t used AA, so my partner makes a certificate each year.
In general, celebrating recovery milestones is not only about celebrating yourself. Yes, it allows you to think about the hard work you’ve done. But it also inherently acknowledges all of the people who have supported you in sobriety.
Everyone celebrates their soberversary differently. Even if you don’t want to make a big deal of it, it’s worth acknowledging in some way. You don’t have to celebrate with others to appreciate the people who have supported you.
It’s also an important time to reflect. Just as some people take their birthday to think about the year, a soberversary can be used to process growth.
We tend to imagine pride as complacency—a prideful person is blinded to areas where they could grow. But feeling good about your accomplishments can also encourage more progress.
Acknowledging your achievements is reflecting on both the work you’ve done and the work you still need to do. It can also help prevent burnout. When you’re constantly in the thick of it, it’s easy to forget why you got sober in the first place. Taking pride in your recovery means it’s important to you. It’s a way to remind yourself that you are capable of big changes—in the past and the future.
Even in a world still affected by COVID-19, everything moves fast. It’s not often we get time to slow down and acknowledge achievements. Being sober is something to be proud of—especially during a global pandemic, but always.
That said, if you are in the thick of an addiction struggle, it is nothing to be ashamed of. TruHealing Centers is here to help, and open throughout the COVID-19 crisis with hospital-grade sanitization and telehealth options. Our centers across the country offer high-quality treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. Our staff—many of whom are in recovery themselves—will help you build a life in long-term recovery you can feel proud of. To find out more, call an admissions specialist at 410-593-0005.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]