April 22, 2025

Graciously written and shared by Alicia Peterson, RSS, Family Recovery Coach

Recovery is a journey and resilience is the strength that keeps us moving forward. Whether you’re supporting a loved one or healing yourself, resilience helps you navigate challenges, setbacks, and victories with grace and determination. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from difficulties, adapt to change, and grow stronger through adversity. It does not mean avoiding struggles. It means facing them with hope and perseverance.

Ways to strengthen resilience in recovery.

Prioritize Self-Care: Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. Simple acts like resting, eating healthily, exercising, and practicing mindfulness can improve your ability to cope with living life on life’s terms.

Stay Connected: Lean on your friends and your recovery network to remind yourself that you are not alone. Seek support when you feel that you need it. It’s okay to ask for help. Therapists, support groups, and faith communities can all offer guidance and strength when times are tough.

Embrace Flexibility: Recovery isn’t a straight path. Accept setbacks—both in yourself and in your loved one—as part of the journey. This will help you maintain your perspective and prevent yourself from becoming discouraged.

Cultivate Gratitude: Focusing on the small victories or positive moments shifts your mindset from struggle to progress. Consider keeping a gratitude jar or journal.

Planting seeds of hope.

Recovery for individuals and families does not happen overnight. It begins with minor changes, just like a seed growing into a tree. Even if your loved one is not ready for help, you can plant seeds of compassion, empathy, encouragement, and courage, knowing that change often starts from within.

My personal journey.

When I began my own recovery journey eight years ago, I knew that I had a monumental task in front of me, building a life for myself and my children that would be safe, happy, and healthy. I had never known that kind of future was possible since I was raised in a home environment that had been impacted by struggles with substance use.  

There were days when I was so proud of the progress that I had made, and others where setbacks were around every corner. However, instead of quitting or running back to what was comfortable for me, I put one foot in front of the other and leaned into my resilience. I continued doing the next right thing. I leaned on my support system, practiced self-care, and asked for help. Over time, recovery became the only choice for me. My family grew stronger together, and we found and built a loving home. We continue to achieve our goals every day.

There are still obstacles in my path. In March 2024, my 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on her birthday. We had a seemingly insurmountable battle ahead of us, one that I knew all too well, since I had the same disease when I was 22 years old. Instead of burying my head in the sand or using substances to numb the fury of emotions I was faced with, I chose to show up, feel my feelings, and be fully present for my daughter in a way that I wasn’t sure I was capable of—that’s my resilience! I’m overjoyed to report that today my daughter is cancer-free, and we’re heading on her celebratory Make-A-Wish trip to Hawaii this month.

Choosing to use your resilience during the tough times creates an indescribable feeling of pride and shows you just how strong you truly are! We are all survivors! If you are seeking assistance with navigating a relationship with a loved one who has a substance use disorder, please feel free to contact me.

With Love and Light, 

Alicia

McCall’s Family Recovery Coach Program is grant funded and provided at no-cost to all participants.

For more information contact:

Alicia Peterson, RSS

Family Recovery Coach

Phone: 959.229.4814

alicia.peterson@mccallbhn.org

Return to our Blog for more inspiring stories and insights.