Many people find it difficult to deal with the traumatic and bad experiences they had in their past. When one throws addiction into the mix, it can create the perfect breeding ground for very poor self-esteem among people. A low self-esteem can add to someone looking to substance abuse as a way to self-medicate themselves, eventually finding that they need the services of a substance abuse rehab. The person’s self-esteem will be dragged through the turmoil of addiction and after sobriety is achieved, the shame from the past will have a further negative result on the person’s already fragile worth of self.

Simply taking the step of undergoing detox will be difficult enough, but after the alcohol and the drugs have left your system, you will soon experience a flood of different emotions. From self-doubt to assurance and fear to faith, chaos to order, these are all natural emotions to experience which you will need to work through. In many instances the emotions that are attached to past negative events will continue to have an impact on and damage your sense of wellbeing and self even after sobriety has been achieved.

Many times people will feel confused about how they should manage emotions and they will continually beat themselves up through thinking and applying negative thoughts and thinking. These thoughts will normally be self-judgements that is passed down by the person for past behaviours which can include cheating, lying, stealing, weight fluctuations, promiscuity, substance abuse and poor decision making, to name but a few. All of these and other negative emotions and thoughts attached to this will tear down the person’s self-esteem.

By making the decision to enter rehabilitation, it will be the first step needed to rebuild a positive self-image. Rehab will help teach the person to make better and healthier decisions while setting boundaries and teaching them the skills to resolve underlying emotions. These are only some of the ways people will use to help them rebuild a positive self-image and to restore their confidence in their lives and in themselves.