recovery quotes

50 Positive Quotes for Recovery

Are you looking for positive recovery quotes?

Would inspiration help you move forward?

Here are fifty amazing quotes about recovery, change, habits, how to begin again, and encouragement.

I hope they inspire you and remind you that you are not alone. Many have gone before you, whether it’s changing a substance use issue or parenting a struggling child.

There is hope that your child will change, and there are things you can do to help.

Recovery

1. Unlearn what the world has taught you. You were born worthy and always have been. ~ Lorelei

2. The pain you feel today is the strength you’ll feel tomorrow. ~ Unknown

3. I’ve learned that the people who achieve long-term recovery, no matter what their identity is, have found a way to manage and deal with the underlying anxiety and depressive issues that trigger pathological cravings. ~ Ryan Hampton

4. Recovery begins at exactly that moment when you are completely broken to pieces and must surrender to unfamiliar and uncomfortable ways in order to be rebuilt into who you were meant to be.  ~ Unknown

5. First, don’t be alone with your illness and your struggle. And don’t be afraid to demand the best diagnosis, the best care, the best coverage, and the best way of staying current with the medicine and the treatment. ~ Patrick J. Kennedy

6. Recovery is about progression, not perfection. ~ Unknown

7. I remain grateful for every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year that I have the gift of sobriety.  I am here to help anyone and everyone who wants to try this way of living. If you’re willing to do whatever it takes then you can also reap the rewards of living in recovery. Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can. ~ Laurie Dhue

8. Baby steps are key–baby steps, and lots and lots of praise. ~ Erica Spiegelman

9, instead of saying, “I’m damaged, I’m broken, I have trust issues,” say, “I’m healing, I”m rediscovering myself, I’m starting over.” ~ Horatio Jones

10. I have been sober for 12 years. I am grateful to have the opportunity to inspire, to empower, and to educate. It is simply amazing to be on this recovery journey with so many. ~ Chris Herren

recovery quotes

Change

11. Making a big life change is scary. Know what’s even scarier? Regret. ~ Zig Ziglar

12. We’re saying that the way people sustain ongoing, long-term change is through building a better life in ways that matter to them as individuals.~ Jeff Foote

13. As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world… as in being able to remake ourselves. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

14. “What is broken can be mended. What hurts can be healed. And no matter how hard it gets, the sun will rise again.” ~ Unknown

15. When people see that their behavior is inconsistent with their self-image or goals, their motivation to change can increase. ~ Carrie Wilkens

16. Sometimes, deciding who you are is deciding who you’ll never be again. ~ Unknown

17. It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.  ~ Joseph Campbell

18. Because rather than asking what might convince someone to change, catalysts start with a more basic question: Why hasn’t that person changed already? What is blocking them? ~ Jonah Berger

19. Don’t be afraid of change. You may lose something good, but you may gain something better. ~ Unknown

20. Even though there are days I wish I could change some things that happened in the past, there’s a reason the rearview mirror is so small and the windshield is so big. Where you’re headed is much more important than what you’ve left behind. ~ Unknown

Habits

21. Nobody stays recovered unless the life they have created is more rewarding and satisfying than the one they left behind. – Anne Fletcher

22. Look at your daily habits and ask yourself if they are causing you to evolve or revolve. Are you moving forward or just moving in circles? ~ Unknown

23. Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years. ~ James Clear

24. It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t stop. ~ Confucius

25. Meeting a child’s aggression with aggression only adds fuel to the fire. To extinguish aggressive behavior, meet it with calmness and compassion. Being calm isn’t passive–it’s mature. Be it to teach it. ~ Rebecca Eanes

26. Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. ~ Vince Lombardi

27. If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. ~ Peter Drucker

28. We recommend that you think less about getting your loved one to admit to an addiction and more about what it takes to build a better life. ~ Nicole Kosanke

29. It’s the small habits. How you spend your mornings. How you talk to yourself. What you read and what you watch. Who you share your energy with. Who has access to you. That will change your life. ~ Michael Tonge

30. Parents don’t need to stay on the sidelines, filled with anxiety and uncertainty, acting out habitual patterns, and feeling powerless. When parents dirty themselves up, get on their child’s level, and stay with the grief, edginess, and panic, they’ll see how brave their children really are. ~ Krissy Pozatek

Related article: 50 Quotes to Help You Feel More Calm and Peaceful

Begin again

31. Sometimes in life, the lesson will keep repeating itself until you learn your lesson. ~ Brigitte Nicole

32. It’s getting your family back, getting your children back, and being friends with them again. Help them move through life in a positive way, but try to keep everything positive–even relapses. When they relapse, okay, let’s not condemn them. Let’s not put them to death because they had one or two days where they went backward. Let’s start all over again and keep that positive attitude. ~Robert Meyers

33. At any given moment, you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.  ~ Unknown

34. Sometimes you just have to trust… Trust yourself, the journey you are on, and that things will get better. ~ Unknown

35. There is no shame in beginning again, for you get a chance to build a bigger and better than before.  ~ Unknown

36. Any obstacle is often a stepping stone. ~ William Prescott

37. Growth isn’t always constant. Relapses happen. It doesn’t erase all your success. ~ Lovhver

38. Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath and start again. ~ Unknown

39. Catch yourself when you drift into “what if” thinking territory. Pull yourself back to the present. In the present moment, what is happening? Remember, the situation can change on a dime. There are many paths to recovery – perhaps, not in the straight line you would wish for, but it happens all the time. ~ Pat Aussum

40. Don’t be afraid to start over. This time you’re not starting from scratch, you’re starting from experience. ~ Unknown

Encouragement

41. One step at a time, one day at a time. Be strong. Be grateful. Just do the next right thing, and you will arrive. ~ Elizabeth Vargas

The Compassion Antidote by Cathy Taughinbaugh
The Compassion Antidote is my new book that answers so many of the questions that readers of this post may have – including those about how to help their child find recovery. Click on the book for the Amazon link. I hope it is helpful.

42. The connection and relationship you have with yourself is the most important one you can cultivate. ~ Michelle Maros

43. You can come out of the dark and into the light. It is possible to live and stay sober. If I can do it, anybody can. ~ Kristina Wandzilak

44. Underneath all the addictive behavior, you are whole and perfect in every way, right at this moment. And my invitation for you is to tap deeply into that truth and see what happens. ~ TJ Woodward

45. For the person that needs to see this today: Your heart will heal, your tears will dry, your season will change. Rest tonight knowing the storm will end. ~ Unknown

46. It’s okay to outgrow your old self. ~ Wild Faith

47. Given love and opportunity, every child and adult can recover. All who know this and have the capacity to help others should assist as they can. – Dallin H. Oaks

48. I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you. ~ Joyce Meyer

49. What’s truly amazing is that I enjoy this life today, and when I was still using, I hated the idea of sobriety. I could not picture myself having fun or being content with this life that I am now living. But somehow I transformed, and it did happen.”  ~ Patrick Meninga

50. I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you, it’s going to be worth it. ~ Anonymous

I hope you enjoyed these recovery quotes. What is your favorite?


Access research-based resources to help you support your child in a kind, compassionate way, which can lead to change.

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Support for Families Concerned About Drug Or Alcohol Use with Cathy Taughinbaugh
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