Drug abuse is very dark days in your life and the road to recovery is a long and hard process. While some prefer to leave such experience in the past and start anew, keeping the whole thing under lock and key, experts actually encourage recovered addicts to share their personal journey and struggle with addiction. If you notice, the majority of Drug Rehab centers have group therapy or meetings where members are asked to share their personal experiences and listen to the stories of others as well. Apparently, sharing your drug addiction and recovery story has benefits for you and your audience.

What sharing does for you

1. Remembering the consequences

Whether you write a book, do a vlog entry, or volunteer to share at your drug addiction center, sharing your story will help you remember the consequences and help you become more focused on your recovery. Reliving your darkest times may be difficult but it reminds you that because of your mistakes, you lost your job, your house, or even the people closest to you and you would not want that to happen again.

2. Minimize loneliness

Not everyone will welcome you with open arms when you get out of treatment. Some may judge you and some relationships will never be the same again. Strangers will even treat you differently because of this stigma. This is a consequence that one must face. Some are unable to take these changes and succumb to relapse. Sharing your stories will give you a support group by communicating with people who know what it is like. It is important to know that you are not alone.

3. Confidence booster

Revisiting your experience will remind you of what you have been through and the things you did to overcome the struggle. To come this far is a feat itself and that is something that you should be proud of.

4. Rewarding experience

Seeing how your story has inspired others to seek treatment and recover is a rewarding feeling. Your story comes with positive impacts that can touch someone’s life.

What sharing does for others

1. Encouraging others

By allowing others to know what you have been through and what you have done to recover, you are able to encourage those who already feel helpless. Knowing that there is someone who has made it through and came out a whole can encourage them to seek help and keep going.

2. Educating others

A lot of people are unable to understand what it really is like and reading articles on substance abuse can only do so much. Hearing it from someone who has first-hand experience and who can explain it without scientific jargon can help educate them on the struggles and realities of addiction.

Your recovery story is a personal journey but it also has elements that people who went through the same thing, are going through the same thing, or witnessing someone going through the same thing can relate to and can learn from. You are not the only one who went down this road but you are one of the selected few who were able to rise up and recover; there are millions of people who are still on that road - your story can inspire them, give them hope, and remind you of what you have achieved and kept you sober.