As we write this post, we are coming up on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776—a significant milestone well worth celebrating. Celebrating milestones is something folks tend to be pretty good at. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and more. People celebrate various moments important to their particular faith tradition. And we celebrate a range of national holidays that often have their roots in milestone events.
If you are a person in recovery from a substance use disorder, there is another kind of milestone to mark. Each day you leave drugs or alcohol in your past is a milestone. A big one.
It might not seem that way. Is it really a milestone if it happens every single day?
Our answer is most definitely yes. Each day your recovery remains intact is another day you have to enjoy and use to move forward in a positive way. If that isn’t worth celebrating, we don’t know what is.
That said, we are not suggesting you throw yourself a party each and every day. We are suggesting, however, that you are intentional about noting each day you are substance-free as a noteworthy win.
Advice from Author Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut was a hugely influential writer whose novels include Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and many more. After he rose to fame, he became a popular graduation speaker, and in one of those speeches, he shared the following anecdote and advice:
One of the things [Uncle Alex] found objectionable about human beings was that they so rarely noticed it when they were happy. He himself did his best to acknowledge it when times were sweet. We could be drinking lemonade in the shade of an apple tree in the summertime, and Uncle Alex would interrupt the conversation to say, “If this isn’t nice, what is?”
So I hope that you will do the same for the rest of your lives. When things are going sweetly and peacefully, please pause a moment, and then say out loud, “If this isn’t nice, what is?”
We think that is excellent advice for everyone—and perhaps particularly relevant to those in recovery.
Why? Because it truly can be all too easy to take each day and its positive moments for granted or to spend time focusing on challenges rather than on what we have to be grateful for. Vonnegut’s advice is a call to be aware of the good moments and to recognize them when they occur.
Marking Each Day’s Milestone
Vonnegut’s suggestion of pausing to say, “If this isn’t nice, what is?” is a good place to start when it comes to noting your daily recovery milestone. Certainly, being in recovery is much, much nicer than being in the active grip of a substance use disorder. In fact, Vonnegut’s suggested question can serve as an affirmation of sorts—a positive statement you can repeat when you need a boost or a reminder of what you can accomplish. Affirmations can be a useful tool for a person in recovery.
Another way to mark your daily recovery milestone might be to keep a gratitude journal. This sort of journaling helps you take a few moments each to reflect on what you are thankful for. Each day, you jot down three things—big or small, new or ongoing, personal to you or including others—for which you feel gratitude.
We might even suggest a standing note that serves as a fourth item in each day’s gratitude rundown: I am grateful for my ongoing recovery.
Writing those words—or something similar—each day is a wonderful way to mark the moment.
One more way to mark your milestone might be to lean into kindness—to yourself and to others. Other milestones, like birthdays, are marked by gifts, and you can note your recovery milestone in a similar way. We are not talking about buying yourself gifts but rather being intentional about making positive choices that support your recovery. Those positive choices are a kind of gift to yourself.
There are plenty of options for these “presents.” Making sure you go to your regular recovery meeting might be one. Replacing a sugary snack with something healthier might be another. Leaning into a relationship with a friend or family member could be another—and give you the opportunity to spread kindness to others. Being kind to yourself via positive habits that support your recovery is an excellent way to celebrate each day of recovery.
Let’s Work Toward Your Reason to Celebrate
It perhaps goes without saying that a substance use disorder is far from a cause for celebration. If you are struggling with drugs or alcohol, it is time to make a life-changing transformation. The team at Bel Aire Recovery Center can help you do just that.
Located near Wichita, Kansas, Bel Aire Recovery Center provides personalized treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. We rely on evidence-based practices that are informed by our experience, expertise, and empathy to ensure you receive top-flight care as you work toward leaving drugs or alcohol in your past. And our commitment to you remains firmly in place even when your time in treatment comes to an end.
