Everyone wears mask at some point or another. Whether it is to work, with loved ones, or in front of an audience of people, everyone wears a mask because nobody can be all things to all people all the time. However, living an authentic life is learning to live with less apologies for being unique, and bringing those gifts to the table rather than trying to hide behind a mask of alcohol, drugs, or other type of addiction. Hiding the true self from the world can keep addiction locked in place, rather than living out loud.

Why Authenticity Matters

A person who is deemed authentic is likely to have some great character traits like:

  • Someone who seems at ease with themselves
  • Someone who worries less what people think
  • Someone who does not always ask for permission to be themselves
  • Someone who is living their life according to their terms and, as long as nobody is getting hurt, seems to be having a great time without substances

Living an authentic life takes time. It takes time to learn how to handle life’s ups and downs, deal with trauma, and come home to oneself. Wearing masks day after day can become exhausting. Many people with addiction are so consumed by the masks they wear they disconnect from who they are and are going along to get along while not really being free.

Demands of Recovery

Recovery can feel like it requires so much from people. It takes time, dedication, and focus to get through the hardest parts of recovery early on, but also in the later stages. Ultimately, recovery demands people strip off the masks and start to live more authentically, including asking themselves:

  • What it is they are hiding from
  • Why they pretend to be who they are not
  • What they are afraid of
  • What it would take to throw the masks away

There is really nothing more frightening than discovering that addiction has become a mask to hide behind and the authentic self has been in hiding all this time. To allow that person to emerge takes time and energy to draw him or her back out into the light from the shadows. To do that, a person must be willing to seek rehab, enter recovery, and focus on healing the things that suppressed that person in the first place. To live authentically, a person can start by accepting the need for help, entering recovery, and finding community to supports a person as they are, with everything they have, and is willing to help the person journey through it together.

The Springboard Center’s addiction treatment programs are tailored to meet the needs of each client. By utilizing a set of diverse methods of addiction treatment, we are able to deal with your addiction from all angles and concentrate on every aspect of your healing process. It is important to recognize that many of our services offer a group setting and environment, so that the client spends time with other people affected by the same chronic disease and problems. 432-620-0255