Coming out on the other side of your recovery journey is one of the greatest feelings in the entire world. Not only did you accomplish something, but you’ve left a version of yourself behind that previously seemed unshakable. You’ve transformed into someone better, healthier, and ready to take on the world. There’s unending optimism everywhere you look and it feels like you’re finally ready to take on the world.
However, while it’s great to be excited and ready for something new, it’s important to not get too caught up in the euphoria of finding a new part of yourself, as there are some unfortunate negatives.
Pink clouding, this initial stage of elation and happiness, has always been a part of the recovery process. While it’s an excellent sense of comfort and relief after experiencing the dark times of addiction, it’s important to not let it take over too much of who you are and start relying on it entirely—sometimes completely disrupting a recovery process.
This is especially important in the Seattle area. While the Pacific Northwest is famous for its gloomy weather, Seattle is specifically known for the “Seattle Freeze,” where people are notoriously cold towards others and customarily antisocial. That’s why pink cloud syndrome hits exceptionally hard for people used to this type of weather and social environment.
Let’s go through pink cloud syndrome and the Seattle Freeze in more detail and review ways to not let it derail your commitment to recovery.
Pink Cloud Syndrome: What Is Pink Clouding and How Does It Affect You After Going Through the Different Stages of Addiction?
Pink clouding is a common emotional state that many recovering addicts find themselves in after they’ve cycled through the different stages of addiction.
What does pink clouding mean?
Pink clouding is a heightened state of happiness. It refers to a period of extreme optimism and hope for the future that they haven’t felt in a while, and sometimes, never before. Here are some of the positive key characteristics of pink clouding.
Benefits of being sober and pink clouding:
Heightened Mood: There’s a feeling of elevated happiness and elation, often more than people are used to.
Increased Energy: People that have gone through the different cycles of addiction are typically not used to high energy levels without the false boost of drugs or alcohol. This newfound level of vitality makes them feel happier.
Undying Optimism: Feeling a sense of comfort, security for the future, and an overwhelming sense of confidence is incredibly common when dealing with pink clouding.
Peaceful State of Mind: Being comfortable and undeterred by anything that everyday life throws at you is a common characteristic of pink clouding.
The negative side of pink clouding and how it can lead to further stress and addiction
While it’s great to feel happier and optimistic after getting sober, pink clouding is often associated with growing complacent and ultimately leading people in recovery to break their good habits and fall back into the tumultuous pitfalls of addiction. Now that we’ve gone through the benefits of pin cloud syndrome, let’s point out some of the different negative aspects that come along with it.
The downside of pink clouding and its effect on the brain chemistry of addicts
Lack of Attention and Focus: Difficulty concentrating and focusing on one task is a textbook issue for those recently out of recovery. A newfound outlook and increased serotonin make it more difficult to pay attention to things that matter like work or school.
False Sense of Security: The biggest downside of pink clouding is that it can often lead people to fall back into addiction. Because they develop an overwhelming sense of confidence and optimism, they often feel that they can skip the work their IOP program told them to stick to. This gives them a higher chance of relapsing and clinging onto old habits that send them back into substance abuse.
Embracing Triggers: When you get into a false sense of security, you also become less aware of the things that will trigger your addiction and lead you to relapse.
Overconfidence: With increased optimism and a positive outlook on life, you’ll naturally become confident. While this is a good thing, it’s possible that this can lead to overconfidence, leading you to abandon the necessary work you have to do to keep up with addiction and maintaining your progress.
Relapse: Ultimately, having overconfidence, a false sense of security, loss of focus, and failing to avoid the triggers that led you to addiction, could send you right back to that dark space that led you to rehab in the first place. It’s incredibly important not to abandon the routines you developed in your rehab program, especially early on in the pink cloud stage when you think that everything will be alright if you let it fall to the wayside.
The pink cloud hits you especially hard in the Pacific Northwest and Seattle, as gloomy weather and social norms that deter friendly interactions often keep people feeling depressed and lonely on a frequent basis. When the pink cloud hits them with a wave of optimism, it can be difficult to pull yourself away. While everyone wants to be happy, it’s one of the benefits of sobriety and we agree that it’s a great thing, it’s also important to not let it create complacency and stop you from doing the work you need to do to stick to your recovery journey.
Let’s examine the Seattle Freeze and see how it amplifies pink clouding, potentially causing relapse.
What is the Seattle Freeze?
The Seattle Freeze is a social phenomenon based around the idea that people continuously exhibit antisocial behaviors and are unwilling to make new friends in the city and surrounding areas of Seattle. It’s especially noticeable for newcomers, who are often surprised at how unwelcome they feel when first arriving in the city.
For recovering addicts in Seattle used to experiencing the freeze, the rush of happiness and optimism associated with getting sober often enhances the effects of pink clouding, making it easier to fall back into relapse.
Knowing different ways to resist the complacency part of pink cloud syndrome so you can enjoy being happy can help you stick to your recovery journey and resist temptation. Let’s go through different ways to stay on track.
How to manage pink clouding and overcome stress and addiction
The pink cloud is an enjoyable reward for addicts on the right side of recovery. However, it’s a double-edged sword and can sometimes lead you back to your addiction if it causes complacency. Eventually the euphoria wears off and you’re left struggling to carry on without that added boost. This is most often when people tend to relapse, but here’s how to stick to your recovery plan and stay on track.
Ways to overcome pink clouding
Here’s how to overcome the negatives of pink cloud syndrome:
Talk to other people: The best way to get help after pink clouding wears off is to ask for it. Talking with other people and telling them that you’re struggling can go a long way and help you find the right assistance.
Picture yourself in your past life: Being able to remember what addiction was like, who you were, and what you went through can help you avoid falling back into that trap.
Hang around positive influences: Surrounding yourself with people that encourage positive behaviors and don’t activate your triggers is an enormous part of the sobriety process. Peers make up an enormous part of our daily lives and influence behavior more ways than you realize. Making sure you’re with the right people can be the difference in staying the course with recovery. Sometimes, that means dropping other people that might potentially be bad influences—even if they’re close friends from your past.
Keep yourself busy with activities or things to work towards: Creating a distraction or goal to help steer your brain away from addiction is an excellent way to maintain your discipline. Get obsessed with something healthy to bring about a better way to live. This will not only keep you preoccupied with something else, but it’ll give you the satisfaction and serotonin boost from another outlet. This is a great way to stick to your recovery plan and find happiness after the good parts of pink cloud syndrome have worn off.
Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers can help you with addiction and substance-use issues
If you or someone you know feel that you have an addiction or are struggling to break dependency on another substance, Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers can help. We believe that addiction is an illness that can be cured and we’ve developed a comprehensive, effective and affordable treatment platform that can help anyone, regardless of which addiction they have. Contact us to learn more about our services and talk to an experienced counselor today. There is hope; let us know help you find the resources you need for a better life.
Sources:
Overcoming Pink Cloud Syndrome: Tips for Long-Term Sobriety.
What Is Pink Cloud? Meaning, Symptoms And Benefits
Surviving Pink Cloud: Tips for Staying Sober When the Euphoria Wears Off
