4 Ways to Make Amends in Recovery

Undoubtedly, you, too, have a list of ways in which you want to live out your living amends, and that’s great! The more personalized your lifestyle changes are, the more they’re going to resonate and stick with you. When held in the bonds of an addiction, it’s not uncommon for many relationships to feel strain, or to fall apart together. Sometimes, making direct amends with someone may lead to further harm.

Harmony Haus

She came home to what she described as “a completely different house”. My living amends to my mother is to be fully present in my life so I can be fully present in hers. To fix broken relationships, you have to put a lot of effort into making things work. It’s not enough to say to someone that you apologize and feel badly for how you acted in the past. It takes a certain maturity and level of respect for yourself and the person you’re hoping to reconnect with to get past any past issues. For every time you said you’d be there or that you’d help someone do something and didn’t show up, you’ve left an impression upon that person that they can’t rely on you to keep your word.

How Making Amends Positively Affects the Brain

«See how I do my makeup for work. Very demure, very mindful…I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much, I’m very mindful,» she says. Harris’ subsequent defeat to Donald Trump is unlikely to have influenced things, though. In truth, many on social media had already moved away from brat long before the election’s results.

Fulfill your promises.

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Try not to respond with anger or defensiveness if others aren’t responsive to your efforts. They have been hurt by your actions, and they may not be willing to forgive and forget. They may have been hurt in ways that you were not able to identify when preparing to make amends. Making amends does not necessarily depend on your ability to connect with a person or how they respond to you. Generally speaking, people work through the Steps of Alcohol Anonymous with an addiction treatment counselor and/or sponsor.

• An apology is expressing regret or saying sorry for causing harm to someone.
• This tends to result in enhanced relationships and repairing ones that were injured.
• Addiction takes over your life, stealing both your joy and your time, and making it impossible for you to give back to others and live a generous life.

For example, if you are estranged from a loved one and they will not see you, your indirect amends may involve reflecting on and modifying the behaviors that led to the estrangement. Making direct amends means actively confronting your behavior with the person who you harmed. Many people begin making amends as soon as they join AA.