Sadness

Another feeling we often find ourselves experiencing especially in the earlier stages of recovery is sadness.  While unpleasant, sadness often informs us when we have been hurt, wounded or wronged.  If we sprain an ankle and keep trying to walk normally on it without support we only risk further injury.  Sometimes it may seem there is nothing we can do; the hurt has been incurred and what can be done now?

Someone who works in this field once told me that there are toxins in tears that we cry when we are hurting that are not present when we cry, say, from laughter.  So while it may sound strange, something we can do is simply to cry.  We allow the hurt to surface and we cry it out, either for a time or until we are done.  This can help facilitate the grieving process.

Sadness may also tell us where we need recovery: in certain relationships, pertaining to certain memories.  These things tell us where we have been hurt.  We talk a fair amount about PTSD: post traumatic stress disorder.  There is also such a thing as post traumatic growth.  Often it happens when we reach out to help others who have been wounded similarly to how we have been.  This is a big reason why many people recovering from addiction become AA or NA sponsors or become professional addiction counselors. 

Helping others redeems our pain into something useful, maybe even something beautiful, which tells us that our pain is meaningful and that good can come out of it.