10 Inspirational Quotes About Recovery

The journey from addiction to recovery is an arduous one that requires every positive support available to help ease the transition. Friends, loved ones, and therapy coaches will do all within their power to be there with the right words that can bring comfort or steel resolve. These ten quotes are among the many that have provided support to countless people on their journey to recovery in those moments when they have been in need of inspiration. The revealing nature of the depths of the power held within the human experience are what makes “The Scar” by London Author China Miéville a deep well of inspiration for an audience that goes far beyond its Sci-Fi premise. That is in evidence with the following quote from the book:

“Scars are not injuries, Tanner Sack. A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole.”

Friendship, loss and reclaiming oneself are not only the themes of life, but also the themes of the journey to recovery. These authors take very divergent paths to tell their story, but these quotes taken from their books are echoed in the reclaimed lives of those that have fought and won over addiction.

“I know now that we never get over great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different, often kinder, creatures.” ― Gail Caldwell, “Let’s Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship”

“Although healing brings a better life, it also threatens to permanently alter life as you’ve known it. Your relationships, your position in the world, even your sense of identity may change. Coping patterns that have served you for a lifetime will be called into question. When you make the commitment to heal, you risk losing much of what is familiar. As a result one part of you may want to heal while another resists change.” ― Laura Davis, “Courage to Heal Workbook”

“You were sick, but now you’re well again, and there’s work to do.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, “Timequake”

“We don’t get to choose the things that happen to us in life. What we can choose is how to react to them, how we deal with them, and how we move on.” ― Sarah Winter

Although the journey to recovery and wholeness seldom provides us with an endless tank to keep going 24/7/365, there are plenty of books, calendars and other sources that provide a small burst of fuel that can kick start a day or a moment where soul power is low. Here are a few quotes from several that may provide the right spark to regain ignition and keep going forward.

“A fine glass vase goes from treasure to trash, the moment it is broken. Fortunately, something else happens to you and me. Pick up your pieces. Then, help me gather mine.” ― Vera Nazarian, “The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration”

“Self-preservation isn’t worth it if you can’t live with the self you’re preserving.” ― David Levithan, “Every Day”

“We judge ourselves by our intentions; the world judges us by our actions” ― J. Dean

“Deep down inside, each of us knows what our truths are. It is forgivable to lose them…It is unforgivable not to reclaim them.” ― Holli Kenley, “Mountain Air: Relapsing and Finding the Way Back… One Breath at a Time”

“Being broken isn’t the worst thing. We can be mended and put together again. We don’t have to be ashamed of our past. We can embrace the history that gives us value, and see our cracks as beautiful.” ― Anna White, “Mended: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Leaps of Faith”