Guide: Writing a Goodbye Letter to Addiction

Incorporate gratitude for the lessons learned and the strength gained through overcoming addiction. Bid farewell to addiction with sincerity, expressing determination to move forward without the presence of addiction. Begin by downloading our Goodbye Letter to Addiction template, which provides a framework for expressing your sentiments towards addiction. Dr Sabina Alispahic, PhD, is a psychologist and gestalt psychotherapist with expertise in clinical and health psychology. You seduced me with the idea that I was free of all prejudices and that “society” was trying to brainwash me.

Ready to Break Free From Addiction?

• All addictions look somewhat different, but they all end up giving you the same result.
• You can have your life back with our professional help.
• What you do with your completed letter is up to you.

I cleaned my apartment and redecorated to remove all traces of you from my life. I started a new job, got a girlfriend, and started to forget you. I would try sometimes to go out and have fun with my real friends. After only an hour or two, I would goodbye letter to addiction template feel you calling me, tugging at me, telling me I had to go home and be with you or I would suffer consequences. The message has always been that drugs are bad.

Set the Tone for the Goodbye Letter to Substance Abuse

Tough days might come, but with our supportive sober community, you’re never alone. I don’t know why I didn’t do it before. Maybe I was embarrassed to admit how much control I’d given you… But I was so desperate, I called someone I knew who was sober. He told me I didn’t Alcoholics Anonymous have to fight you alone.

What is an addiction recovery program?

The matter is settled; you’ve made up your mind about leaving addiction to drugs or drinking behind. Just as you begin the letter with a no-nonsense acknowledgment, you will end with a final farewell. For too long, I let you control me and even hated myself at times. You made me believe I needed you to cope, to survive. I realize the extent of the harm you’ve done. I never in a million years thought I’d be in this position.

Don’t Let Financial Worries Stop You from Getting Treatment

Did it make you forget important family events or miss special occasions? This spot is where you can air your grievances about alcohol’s lies and broken promises. Acknowledge the recipient (alcohol) and the intent of your letter.

• Needless to say, I felt emotionally and physically destroyed.
• As a result, I no longer experience anxiety nor am I riddled with panic, disgrace or the feelings of emptiness you always left me with.
• This letter is as much a way of saying goodbye to the addiction as it is a commitment to one’s self to break free.
• I mastered your ways, the spell you cast on others and how you grip down on people with your deceitful tricks.
• To commemorate this event, and to help you plot a course toward a healthier future, many therapists recommend writing a goodbye letter to addiction.
• Substance use disorders impact over 21 million Americans each year, but only 10 percent of people get the life-saving treatment they need.

• I realized they all came as a result of my interactions with you.
• Drug dealers often lace their products with even more dangerous drugs like fentanyl.
• I sleep a whole lot more and value my downtime.
• I even let my other relationships disintegrate because of how strongly I felt towards you.

You’re a tremendous liar who promised to help me when I was scared. I have realized that My health has deteriorated, my children have been taken away, and I don’t have a job to support myself. I believed your promises and lost track of things that matter. You’ve been the best thief, robbing me of my peace. To be clear, the pain you’ve inflicted is unbearable.

Look to a Joyful Future With Your Friends and Family Members

Writing a letter to your addiction may seem daunting at first. Like I said already, one of the things that gave me a sense of comfort was writing a goodbye letter to addiction. I gathered up all the pain, trauma, and hopelessness and let it all out through this letter. Addiction was the hardest relationship that I ever left behind, but it was the greatest thing I ever did. Today, I choose to take a different path.

No, I am making the decision to leave you now. I am deciding that I have had enough of you. I was too scared to leave you before. I was scared of what my life might look like without you. I watched you dig my grave from day one.