Patience

How does patience affect recovery?

Recovery takes patience. It may take years for you to really be aware of how recovery has changed your life, but that doesn’t mean you are not making progress by abstaining, changing behaviors and attitudes, and growing spiritually. These things all happen slowly, in subtle ways.

Addicts are often impatient people. As addicts we sought chemicals that would give us the biggest high in the quickest amount of time. We didn’t have time to wait twenty-four to forty-eight hours for the chemical rush—we wanted immediate relief. Now that you’re in recovery, it will be a challenge for you to be more patient and let go of seeking instant gratification. Remember the slogan “Time takes time.”