Faith in Possibilities

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According to Viktor Frankl in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, if one had no hope for the future or ability to find meaning in the present the chances of survival in a concentration camp was not possible (Frankl, 2006). Frankl observed fellow prisoners during the holocaust and noticed that some prisoners looked to the past, as if their best days were behind them, for inspiration while others looked for meaning in their suffering and had hope for the future. Frankl discovered that those who were stuck in the past did not have the will to live and died in much greater numbers than those who had faith in the possibility of a great future. My name is Bryan Hullihen and I too have witnessed this same deleterious mindset affect the likelihood of someone in early recovery achieving long-term sobriety. This statement is in no way comparing addiction to the horrors Frankl lived through, however, the observations are very much the same. When individuals are in early recovery and believe their best days are behind them the motivation for affecting positive change in their life in the moment atrophies and dies. By having faith in all of the wonderful possibilities for one’s future, and in life in general, people in early recovery have a much greater chance of beating the prison of addiction and navigating early recovery to a life of sober independence. Thank you for your time and support and I look forward to reading your comments.

Sincerely,

Bryan Hullihen

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