Top 10 Addiction Recovery Quotes
Addiction is a complicated mental health condition that affects millions of families. It damages relationships and brings with it hardships of all kinds. Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction requires commitment on the part of the addicted person and support on the part of loved ones.
If you are currently struggling with addiction, know that there is hope and that recovery is possible. You are not alone. There are many people who are successfully navigating the waters of addiction recovery, living new lives that are free of drugs and alcohol.
The following quotes about addiction recovery are meant to help you stay committed to and motivated about your recovery. We hope they help.
10 Addiction Recovery Quotes that Motivate and Inspire
#1 – “No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions." – Unknown
It’s important to remember that addiction doesn’t discriminate—it can happen to anyone. It isn’t a sign of immorality, weakness, or bad character. It’s a disease that affects millions of people around the world.
#2 – “Remember that just because you hit bottom doesn’t mean you have to stay there.” – Robert Downey Jr.
For many people, addiction feels hopeless and impossible to overcome. The truth is, addiction is not a place where you have to stay. There is a way out with treatment and support, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get clean and sober.
#3 – “Your addiction is not you, but it feels like you because you’ve spent so much intimate time together.” – Toni Sorenson
Addiction changes people, along with their body, mind, and soul. It changes how people behave, often turning kind, upstanding folk into people no one—not even the addicts themselves—can recognize. But the person who you were is still there; it just may take some time in recovery to see that.
#4 – “Recovery is not for people who need it; it’s for people who want it.” – Unknown
If recovery was for the people who need it, we wouldn’t see so many who are stuck in the heartbreaking cycle of addiction. True recovery requires a desire to stop drinking or using drugs, and a willingness to seek and accept help.
#5 – “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese proverb
Relapse is often a part of recovery. It’s important to remember that a relapse doesn’t have to be the end of your recovery. You can get sober again—you haven’t lost what you’ve learned in recovery.
#6 – “If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.” – Benjamin Alire Sáenz
“One day at a time” is a well-known recovery saying. It’s meant to help people in recovery recognize that while it’s very overwhelming to think about staying sober for the rest of their lives, thinking in terms of staying sober for one day, or one hour, or one minute at a time can make it easier.
#7 – “Recovery is hard. Regret is harder.” – Brittany Burgunder
People who are addicted to drugs or alcohol often have done or said things that they regret. Living with that regret can lead to crushing guilt that keeps them in the cycle of substance abuse. Recovery is difficult, but living with that guilt and regret is often even worse.
#8 – “Don’t let the past steal your present.” – Terri Guillemets
Mindfulness, or staying present (not regretting the past, and not worrying about the future), is one of the best tools for people in recovery.
#9 – “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Everyone fails at something. If you have failed at getting sober, it doesn’t mean that you are destined to be an addict forever. You can live a life of recovery—you have to choose to keep trying.
#10 – “I’m not telling you it is going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Unknown
A life of recovery is worth all the time and work that you put into it. It’s a second chance to live a life that you and your family can enjoy.
Get Help for Your Addiction
You don’t have to allow addiction to run your life anymore. There is another way to live. Remember the quotes above as you seek help for your addiction; they can be motivating and inspiring as you begin your journey toward recovery.
There are various types of treatment and support available that will help you learn how to cope with life without the use of substances. You may choose a detox program where you live onsite for a period of time, outpatient treatment where you attend during the day and go home each night, or a 12-step program where you will have the support and encouragement of other addicts in recovery. Whatever you choose, take one day at a time and stay committed to finding a new life, one with hope and healing—and without drugs and alcohol.