Being Grateful Can Turn Failures into Opportunities

Perhaps it sounds hokey pokey to you. Perhaps you're wondering how being grateful for something changes your perspective. Or how gratitude can have an effect on your recovery. Although practicing gratitude might sound like sitting around the campfire and singing Kumbaya, to those who consciously invoke a grateful state of mind, the effects are obvious.

And the effects of gratitude are obvious right in the moment. It doesn't take long to notice just how much the perspective of your life can change with feeling grateful. For instance, let's say you've just relapsed. You're feeling guilty about what happened. You know you really want to stay sober, but there you were with your long-time friend and having a drink was the perfect thing to do - it wouldn't have been the same if you sat there together without a drink in your hand.

But now that it's over, you regret it. One drink led to another and another and another. Your friend had to drive you home while you left your car at the bar. Then, you weren't able to get up on time the next morning and you were late for work. Because your boss already knows that you have a problem with drugs and alcohol, the fact that you were late and that you were hung over didn't look good. And you've been hoping for a raise so that you can get your daughter into another school that's a bit further away, which means more money for gas and a babysitter on some nights. Now the raise is probably six months out.

All these consequences came as a result of one decision, which seemed to be innocent enough at the moment. But now that it's all said and done, you're feeling guilty about what happened and concerned about how to proceed.

Gratitude can turn what seems like a failure into an opportunity. You might start out by making a list of what you feel grateful for. Feel free to get as specific and detailed as you like. For instance, you might feel grateful for:

·         your daughter

·         your job

·         your car

·         a place to live

·         friends

·         family to provide support

·         a boss that keeps you on your toes

·         regular income that brings food on the table

And as you continue to make this list you might realize just how lucky you are. You might recognize that you wouldn't want to ever jeopardize your daughter's life again. What if you were drinking and instead of going with your friend, you drove home and got into a car accident? What if you weren't there for your daughter? Or perhaps your boss wasn't as understanding and fired you right there and then? No longer having the money that provides for you and your daughter would also be a major problem.

Suddenly, the apparent failure of relapse might begin to look like an opportunity. With gratitude in your heart for your life and for all that you have, you recommit to sobriety in a whole new way. This is an opportunity to start over. This is a chance to experience life with your daughter and never turn to drugs or alcohol again.