Scott Brassart

Affirmations are an important recovery tool. They are powerful messages that confirm our worth, reminding us that who we are today is OK and enough. Affirmations validate that we are not defined by our past behavior, no matter how bad it was. Affirmations are stated to replace ‘shame tapes’ and other ongoing internal judgments that destroy our self-esteem, keep us isolated, and feed our addiction.

For affirmations to be effective, they must be focused on the self and stated as if they are true right now, even if in reality they are aspirational. Unfortunately, many people struggle to create positive, meaningful affirmations, even when they know that such affirmation will help them overcome lifelong shame and negative core beliefs. This is especially true for recovering addicts.

Since so many people struggle to come up with useful affirmations, Seeking Integrity has created the following list. Many of these suggestions will work for you exactly as they are worded, but others may need to be adapted to fit your situation. Either way, we hope that you find this list helpful.

1. I am working my recovery.
2. I am an imperfect yet worthwhile person.
3. I have value and worth.
4. I can love myself and accept my past.
5. I am a worthwhile person, exactly as God intended me to be.
6. I am finding my integrity one day at a time.
7. I am worthy of love and acceptance, exactly as I am.
8. Today, I choose to live in the moment.
9. My past actions do not define me in the present.
10. I am able to give and receive love.
11. I respect the boundaries of others.
12. I am recovering with the help of others.
13. I have done bad things, but I am not a bad person.
14. It is OK for me to talk to others about what I am thinking and feeling.
15. I am letting go of my shame.
16. I am fully present today.
17. I can heal and forgive myself for the harms I have caused.
18. I am a better person today than I was yesterday.
19. I am able to ask for and accept help when I need it, without feeling ashamed.
20. Today, I choose to reach out to others before I act out in my addiction.
21. I have compassion for myself and for others.
22. I am happy living my life one day at a time.
23. I am striving for progress, not perfection.
24. I am living a better life today than yesterday.
25. I am making positive changes in my life, one step at a time.
26. Today, my heart is clean.
27. I am fearlessly and rigorously honest in all aspects of life.
28. Outward failures are learning opportunities. They no longer dishearten me.
29. I am living a life of integrity.
30. Today, I am living my values.
31. Negative feelings are just feelings. They don’t last.
32. I honor who I am.
33. I am worth loving. There is love all around me.
34. I am recovering and healing, one day at a time.
35. I am enough.
36. I am the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
37. Today, I choose to be myself, and to be happy with who I am.
38. I believe in myself and my abilities.
39. Today, I will do small things with great love.
40. My sobriety is a journey, not a destination. Today I will enjoy the journey.
41. My recovery works when I work it.
42. I am worth the effort of recovery.
43. I am responsible for the effort, not the outcome.
44. Today, I am stronger than my addiction.
45. I like myself.
46. Happiness is within me.
47. My life belongs to me, not my addiction.
48. I appreciate and cherish the true me more and more each day.
49. I am a happy, peaceful person.
50. I am a strong person with healthy habits.
51. I am capable of healthy relationships with others.
52. My spirit is healing.
53. Today, I am walking the right path.
54. I am living as God intended.
55. All of my problems have a solution.
56. I am proud of myself.
57. I deserve to be sober and to heal.
58. I can and I will.
59. Today, I have a choice. And the choice I make is sobriety.
60. When troubled, I can stop, breathe, and reach out for help.

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If you or someone you care about is struggling with sex, porn, or substance/sex addiction, help is available. Seeking Integrity offers inpatient treatment for sex, porn, and substance/sex addicts, as well as low-cost online workgroups. At the same time, SexandRelationshipHealing.com offers a variety of free webinars and drop-in discussion groups, podcasts, and more.