Why Sobriety Matters in Heroin Addiction

A man and his dog play fetch, against the backdrop of a golden sunset. — *Heroin robs you of the ability to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Sobriety brings them all back.*

What will life be like without heroin?

Many people imagine that it will be defined by what you can’t have or what you can’t do. Every day will be one long day of fighting the craving to use. Life will be bleak, boring and hard.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Consider what Dr. Richard Hanson, a neuropsychologist, has to say about the subject in an article he wrote for Psychology Today:

“You might think of sobriety as a kind of loss, but it’s actually fueled by a sense of gain. At bottom, sobriety is the opposite of craving … you’re not going to war with what’s unpleasant.”

In other words, you’ll be free from heroin addiction, which will give you the chance to enjoy the many joys, challenges and pleasures that life has to offer.

You’ll also experience what Hanson calls “the bliss of blamelessness.” This is a deep sense of peace that comes with knowing you aren’t poisoning yourself, hurting yourself or hurting your loved ones.

In some ways, it might feel like the “numb” feeling you get when high, except it stays with you all the time.

That’s not the only benefit of sobriety, of course. You’ll be saving money, improving your relationships and growing both emotionally and spiritually.

You also won’t be risking your health—and your life—every time you get high.

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Can You Recover from Heroin Addiction?

That all sounds great, right? If you could just snap your fingers and be sober and strong you would.

The first thing to remember is that getting sober isn’t just about getting off of heroin. To truly heal, you need to address and deal with all of the issues that caused you to use—and continue using—in the first place. Maybe that’s a past trauma or depression. Maybe you don’t even know the reason.

What do you want out of life? What are your deeper needs? What keeps you up at night? How do you want to live your life? What burdens and obstacles do you face?

These are all questions that have to be answered. Once you do, you’ll be on the right path to begin enjoying the joys and challenges of life.

As Hanson says, you’ll be able to “enjoy relating to the world and to your life not gripped at the throat by desire.”

There is no high that can beat the feeling of inner peace.

Hope at The Raleigh House

You can rebuild your life—and we can help. At The Raleigh House we take a whole-person approach to recovery. That means we address every aspect of addiction, including physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and social. Each person who walks through our doors is assigned a master’s level therapist to assist in that journey. Fill out our form or contact us today to learn more about the heroin addiction treatment program at The Raleigh House.