Life can seem limitless when you come out of detox or addiction treatment. You feel hopeful, sound, and ready to take on the world. You are pink clouding.
What is Pink Cloud Syndrome?
When you leave detox or substance addiction therapy, you can feel energized, look forward to life post-substances, and think your optimism is a permanent feeling. The pink cloud or honeymoon phase is just that—a phase. The feelings of confidence and readiness to dive into your recovery are temporary. They are a part of the recovery process. The good news is, even as they fade, you can remain dedicated to your sobriety.
What are the Signs of Pink Cloud Syndrome?
At the beginning of your recovery journey, you can feel self-assured and robust. Everything is lovely, and you can handle anything life throws at you. Addiction treatment often begins with detox, an intense process when you experience physical and mental distress. Once you are on the sober side of detox, you can feel you tackled the most challenging part of recovery—however, you have much further to go. Recognizing the symptoms of pink cloud syndrome is essential. Some of the symptoms are:
- Experiencing an abundance of happiness
- Feeling hopeful
- A positive or optimistic view on recovery
- Being at peace or feeling zen-like
- Self-confidence in your ability to maintain sobriety
- Being committed to lifestyle changes
- Feeling in-tune with your emotions
- At times, you can find yourself skimming over the work needed to maintain sobriety
Recovery is a journey that includes ups, downs, feelings of boredom, joy, peace, or turmoil. Your emotions are why you should become involved in aftercare groups or support meetings, AA, NA, SMART Recovery, or another addiction-related support group.
Post-Treatment Pink Cloud Timeline
The notion that there is a timeline for beginning and ending your pink cloud experience is faulty. You are unique, which means your start time, length of, and finishing of pink cloud syndrome can occur at any time. Perhaps you begin to feel elated during your treatment. Maybe you feel extreme happiness after completing treatment. Your feelings can last a few days or a few months. Your emotions and perception of recovery determine when and how you experience pink clouding.
Pink Cloud Positives
Alcohol or drug use can damage relationships, cause problems at work, and emotional or physical distress. Your addiction can signal an underlying mental health issue. Maybe you drank or used a drug to help you feel confident, happy, or numb feelings of depression or anxiety. While you are undergoing treatment, you can discover the cause and learn healthy coping skills.
As you learn about any repressed feelings or mental health issues, you can also begin to let emotions into your life. You spent so long trying to detach yourself from feeling the change in attitude is refreshing. The time spent drinking or using a drug is now time spent getting in touch with your inner-self. The rush of feelings connects to optimism, commitment, hope, joy, or feeling peaceful.
The Downside of the Pink Cloud
There is a catch to feeling on top of the world; those feelings are hard to sustain. While you are in treatment or new to recovery, you can ride the initial feelings of being in the pink cloud phase, but at some point, you must face life. Life is complex. The stress, happy moments, frustration, anger, or sadness exist outside of the pink cloud. Eventually, the responsibilities that come with relationships, work, and recovery can sink in and bring you back to earth.
Recovery is work. Each day you strive to balance healthy lifestyle changes, plan for the future, or rebuild relationships with family and friends. Throughout your day, you are also trying to incorporate the coping skills you learned in treatment. Sometimes attempting to keep the delicate balance is overwhelming and can tempt you to think about or actively use your substance of choice. Relapse can occur as you come off the pink cloud stage.
Preventing Relapse
There can come a time when you feel your pink cloud slipping away, but don’t worry. You can slip into the next phase without relapsing or feeling an excess of harmful emotions. A part of recovery is learning to recognize, change, and maintain.
Before you complete addiction treatment, set up a flexible plan to help you cope with the stages of recovery. Once you understand life has ups and downs, you can set realistic expectations. Attending aftercare or support groups can aid in your ability to cope with the highs and lows. Support groups can teach you the different stages of recovery and what to expect from them.
You will lose the extreme post-treatment feelings at some point, but that doesn’t mean you must lose your optimism.
- Envision your future. Recognize there can come a time you want to drink or use a drug to cope with stress or harmful emotions. Think about what you would tell yourself; you can write it down to use it later.
- Replace negative daily rituals with healthy habits:
- Try yoga, running, surfing, or another form of exercise
- Learn how to meditate or do breathwork
- Consult a nutritionist to learn how to shop, cook, and eat healthily
- Work on how much sleep you get each night
Your reaction to addiction treatment, pink cloud syndrome, and aftercare is based on your personality. When you recognize, plan for, and address how you feel, you can help ease yourself into life after the pink cloud. Believe in yourself, reach out to others, and incorporate healthy habits.
Those in recovery can experience pink Cloud Syndrome either during or after addiction treatment. Experiencing life without the effects of substances opens up our world. You can express yourself through euphoria or joy. A life without substances is exciting and new. Hold onto the commitment you have to yourself. Before the pink cloud begins to slip away, set up a support system, healthy coping skills, and resources to help you if you feel like you may relapse. Leaning on others when you need a boost of confidence isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. Alta Centers, located in Los Angeles, provides the care you require while you are detoxing. You can participate in therapy, learn healthy coping skills, and discuss your feelings about returning to your life. Alta Centers allows you to set the timeline for your program and recovery. Call us for more information about our detox program (888) 202-2583.
