How to Navigate Feelings of Guilt and Shame in Recovery

Recovery from addiction is a deeply personal journey. Beyond just that, it stems from a decision that is often difficult to make and comes with a lot of stress, anxiety, and unknowns. The decision to enter into recovery can also come with a lot of feelings of guilt and shame as you try to come to terms with the situation.

Feelings of guilt and shame, while certainly not enjoyable, are perfectly normal both before and during the recovery process. While these feelings may serve as a barrier in the beginning when accepted they can also be powerful motivators for change.

Understanding guilt and shame in recovery, and how to manage these emotions, is crucial for long-term healing and in this blog, we will help do just that. So, keep reading to learn more about the differences between guilt and shame, their effects on recovery, and how you can overcome these feelings to successfully navigate your way through treatment.

The Difference Between Guilt and Shame

While many people may associate guilt and shame as the same, they are two distinct types of emotions.

Let’s take a look at guilt and shame and how they differ:

What is Guilt?

Guilt is an emotion tied to specific actions or behaviors that conflict with one’s values or morals. It arises when someone feels they’ve done something wrong and can often prompt self-reflection and reparative actions.

For example, in recovery, someone may feel a sense of guilt for lying to loved ones or neglecting responsibilities as a result of their addiction.

Taking those feelings of guilt and channeling them into something positive can be constructive in recovery, encouraging accountability and motivating positive changes. On the flip side, succumbing to your guilt and turning it into a negative can be toxic, leading to self-punishment and fueling destructive cycles, including relapse.

What is Shame?

Shame, on the other hand, is a more pervasive emotion. While guilt focuses on specific actions, shame internalizes the negative perception. Someone experiencing feelings of guilt may think “I did something bad”, whereas someone experiencing feelings of shame may think “I am bad”.

While guilt can be used for positive change, the same can’t always be said for shame. Shame often lacks a clear path to resolution, making it harder to overcome. It fosters isolation, erodes self-esteem, and creates feelings of hopelessness that can significantly hinder recovery efforts.

The Effects of Guilt and Shame on Recovery

As you can imagine, both guilt and shame can act as triggers for addiction. When a person feels overwhelmed by guilt or shame, they may turn to substances to numb the emotional pain.

This, however, can create a vicious cycle, one filled with using substances to cope, feeling guilty about using those substances, and then using them again to escape those feelings. This cycle can be particularly dangerous and hard to get out of because it traps the person in seemingly a never-ending cycle with no clear path out.

That, unfortunately, is where the stigma associated with feelings of guilt, shame, and addiction comes into play. Society often labels individuals struggling with substance use as morally weak or lacking self-control, reinforcing the internalized shame many already feel.

This, in turn, may discourage someone from seeking professional help for their addiction struggles. After all, they already feel guilty and shameful enough without the perception of judgment from others. That’s why, once a decision has been made to enter into treatment, it’s so important for a recovery setting to be supportive and nonjudgemental. Only then can the stigma and feelings of guilt and shame be broken down and used for good.

How Does Guilt and Shame Affect Overall Health?

Feelings of guilt and shame may not only make it difficult for someone to seek professional addiction treatment, it may also affect a person’s overall health and well-being.

Leaving feelings of guilt and shame unaddressed and untreated can lead to any of the following conditions:

• Chronic Stress – Persistent guilt and shame activate the body’s stress response, contributing to conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and weakened immunity.
• Mental Health Issues – Guilt and shame are strongly linked to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, which can hinder recovery efforts.
• Relapse – The emotional weight of guilt and shame increases vulnerability to relapse, as individuals may turn back to substances to escape these overwhelming feelings.

Why Is Distinguishing Between Shame and Guilt Important For Addiction Recovery?

As we talked about earlier, despite what some may think, guilt and shame are very different. As a result, they both require different approaches to address, particularly during recovery.

Guilt can be addressed through reparative actions, such as making amends, practicing self-forgiveness, or changing behaviors. Shame, on the other hand, requires a deeper shift in self-perception, often involving therapy, support groups, and rebuilding self-worth.

Being able to properly recognize which emotion needs to be addressed will help in effectively tackling the issue head-on, allowing for healing and growth.

Guilt and Shame In Recovery

We touched on it earlier but guilt and shame are two of the harder barriers to overcome when it comes to getting help for addiction. Even if they know that they need to get help, the guilt and shame associated with the current state they find themselves in may be too difficult to overcome on their own. Furthermore, they also may be too embarrassed to ask friends, family, loved ones, or even professionals for help.

However, it is important to remember that we are all human. While we all may make mistakes it is important to remember that asking for help and forgiveness is also part of life. Even if you don’t think so, there are people out there that want to help you. While guilt and shame can be powerful emotions when it comes to fueling addiction, they can also be used for good in getting the help that you need.

Overcoming Guilt and Shame in Recovery

This brings us to our next point, overcoming guilt and shame in recovery. Below are some effective strategies for combating guilt and shame during treatment: