Even the staunchest stoics can find themselves in a pink cloud, and there’s not much protection against it in the way of personalities. Thankfully, the state isn’t something that you need to avoid at all costs. Look for support groups in your area, or ask your healthcare provider for some recommendations.
It might help to also come up with some loose foods with alcohol in them plans of how you’ll deal with future urges to drink or use substances. It’s a lot easier to learn about and prepare for the challenges ahead when you’re feeling good and have an optimistic outlook. “Many people return to substance use in the first 90 days of abstinence,” Turner says. Your eyes open to the great things in life, and you look forward to every day with enthusiasm and hope. As health specialists and users say, the key to sobriety is true surrender.
What Is the Pink Cloud of Recovery?
Your self-esteem can skyrocket, making you feel invincible and how to get someone fired at work capable of overcoming the challenges of recovery. Although this may sound great, it can negatively affect your recovery. Call Eudaimonia Recovery Homes today to learn more about our sober living homes, IOP, and MAP Support Program for men and women in recovery. It’s healthy to make time not just for the things you have to do, but also the things you enjoy doing.
According to them, pink clouding is a short-term period of hyper-positive feelings among people in early recovery. Experiencing a pink cloud can motivate people to engage completely in the recovery process, agrees Sternlicht. “Pink clouds also offer a shift in outlook in life that is much needed in early recovery. One can go from a state of helplessness, hopelessness and despair to feeling optimistic for the first time in their lives,” he says. Pink cloud syndrome is akin to the honeymoon phase at the onset of a new relationship, says Sternlicht. “It’s an intense joy that some individuals experience when how to make myself pee they stop engaging with their addiction.
As you go through recovery and experience positive changes, your brain starts to rebalance itself. Heidi Borst is a freelance journalist, healthcare content writer and certified nutrition coach with a love of all things health and wellness. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, MSN, Yahoo and more. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Borst is a lifelong runner and general fitness enthusiast who is passionate about the physical and mental benefits of sleep and self-care.
You deserve excellent care and a rewarding life in recovery.
While it can provide a much-needed boost of confidence and happiness, there is a dark side to this syndrome. It can give a false sense of security, leading individuals to believe they have conquered their addiction, thus diminishing the perceived need for ongoing support and therapy. Therefore, recognizing the ‘Pink Cloud’ and managing expectations during this phase is important to a sustainable recovery journey. Pink clouding, or pink cloud syndrome, describes a stage of early addiction recovery that involves feelings of euphoria and elation.
Table of contents
- “Rates and predictors of relapse after na[…]lcohol use disorders.” Addiction, February 2006.
- Individuals under a pink cloud are bound to face challenges at some time in their life, and support systems are a helpful lifeline when things get hard.
- Our team does their best for our readers to help them stay informed about vital healthcare decisions.
- The pleasure from these benefits is sometimes overwhelming — intense enough that we start focusing on it ahead of anything else.
- This emotional high characterizes an increased sense of optimism, confidence, and well-being.
- As described by people in AA, the pink cloud is a temporary feeling of euphoria toward their recovery process.
And when you’re on top of the world, you might not give too much thought to ordinary life below. Addiction Resource does not offer medical diagnosis, treatment, or advice. Only trained and licensed medical professionals can provide such services. If you or anyone you know is undergoing a severe health crisis, call a doctor or 911 immediately.
What Is Pink Cloud? Meaning, Symptoms And Benefits
However, we should stay mindful that it can derail our recovery if our responsibilities fall to the wayside. It’s also not possible to gauge how long you’ll be in the pink cloud. There’s no personality trait, environmental factor, or life situation that dictates the duration. In fact, even a sudden distressful alteration in your life might not stop the pink cloud, such as the death of a loved one. We slowly start letting recovery activities slide and become focused on our plans. It would help if you didn’t construe the loss of a pink cloud as anything more than a passing of an emotion.
Over the years, he has served as a department chair, adjunct professor, assistant professor, speaker and trainer. Dr. Spann is a founding team member and the former chief clinical officer of Hurdle, a digital health platform for people of color. Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
The pink cloud phenomenon is an individual process, and its duration can vary between persons. Some people that have lost everything can be happy for years during recovery; others can come back to reality soon after detox. Enrolling in aftercare programs is advisable for such patients to avoid relapse after completing a substance abuse treatment program.
During the ‘Pink Cloud’ phase, individuals often feel a surge of energy, joy, and confidence. They may also have a newfound enthusiasm for their sobriety and the changes they are making in their lives. It’s a normal phenomenon when we’ve escaped a sure sentence to jails or death.
Carry the positive feelings with you
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Without drugs and alcohol in your system, you’ll start feeling positive feelings that have been suppressed. The highest likelihood of relapse is during or directly after this phase. People recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction still have mental health issues that make them vulnerable to relapse. To manage pink cloud, a treatment plan is vital, says Sternlicht.
When this condition wears off, the post-acute withdrawal syndrome is quick to take over. Individuals can begin to notice symptoms like dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and so on. These uncomfortable feelings can make it more challenging for the recovering addict, making them more likely to relapse to avoid these uncomfortable feelings. This syndrome is noticeable in some people within a few days, while others only start to feel the effects after a few weeks have passed. As the field of addiction treatment evolves, research continues to explore the nuances of the ‘Pink Cloud’ and its implications for recovery programs.
Overloading on goals or new habits can backfire if you get burned out and don’t feel up to doing much of anything. The good things in life will still be there; they don’t fade when the euphoria does. She goes on to explain this often happens when people don’t experience as much change as they did early on, or when the reality of having to make consistent small decisions begins to overwhelm them. As part of recovery, you’ll begin getting back in touch with the challenges of daily life. In most cases, you’ve just come through on the other side of withdrawal, which probably involved quite a bit of physical and emotional distress.
