“There’s the question of can you be better, and will you be better. [Rehabilitation] changes you for the better.”
 

Jarakah is one of many recovering addicts who says that finding sobriety changed her life in the best way possible. Though overcoming addiction may be one of the most difficult challenges a person ever faces, the rehabilitation graduates we spoke to told us the rewards of clean living are well worth the effort. Here are just a few ways they said recovery made them better people.
 

In the throes of addiction, it’s easy to get lost in bad decisions — even when your conscience is screaming.
 

“I started lying, cheating and stealing from my friends and family, and doing stuff I knew was wrong in my heart,” Ryan recalled of his life before recovery.
 

In the light of sobriety, Ryan said that A Forever Recovery, where he received his addiction treatment, helped him not only conquer his drug use, but also get in touch with deeper issues and find a harmony in his life he didn’t have before.
 

“I am more at peace. I wake up every day just happy to be alive and happy to go on with the day, and I can handle anything that comes at me,” he said.
 

For Jeremy, his addiction was so out of control that he didn’t just lose himself, he lost his will to fight for life.
 

“Every day I’d wake up, and I’d start drinking just to function,” he said. “It got to the point where every night I was blacking out. I really didn’t feel the need to live anymore.”
 

Like Ryan, Jeremy said his time in rehabilitation helped him regain the person he wanted to be. Which isn’t to say he wasn’t somewhat skeptical going in.
 

“Before going to treatment, I was lost, and I didn’t think a program would be able to give me that,” he admitted. “But now I am at peace with myself, and I actually have the confidence to go to the world outside of treatment. I have goals now in life. [Rehabilitation] really helped me get through that.”
 

Going to a treatment center where you don’t know anyone is certainly intimidating, but Jarakah revealed she was welcomed with open arms.
 

“You’re immediately embraced by your peers. You feel love, and you make new connections and lasting friendships while you’re here,” she said.
 

While many addicts use drugs and alcohol as a way to take the pressure out of socializing, Matt said sobriety can actually ease your social anxiety:
 

“A couple of months ago, I would never have done this. I’m just a really shy person. But meeting all the guys [in treatment] just made me feel comfortable. They helped me get out of my shell.”
 

And that nagging feeling that only your drug of choice can give you confidence? Nonsense, Matt said.
 

“I don’t need to drink to feel comfortable being in my own skin anymore,” he shared. “And it’s just a great feeling.”
 

We all struggle with insecurities and accepting ourselves for exactly who we are. For addicts, using often eases those worries, which might be why so many have trouble letting go. But for Blake, getting sober didn’t take away that sense of comfort — in fact, he said it did quite the opposite.
 

“The biggest thing I learned in treatment is that I can be who I want to be without drugs and alcohol. And I love it. I love myself,” he said.
 

Their experiences were all different, but all the graduates agreed on one major point: finding sobriety made them better people.
 

“If you’re lost and you can’t function on a daily basis without your drug of choice and you’re miserable, that’s no way to live,” Jeremy concluded. “I wake up every day now with a smile and just love life for what it is. Being sober and having that clear mind is such an amazing feeling.”
 
 

If you or someone who you know is suffering from addiction, you don’t have to suffer in silence. Please contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline for free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
 

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