From the beginning stages of addiction when you realize that it’s something you can no longer control to after treatment and sustained recovery, self-loathing is common in the life of individuals who battle the illness. Self-loathing tends to manifest itself as the flipside of the major ego that often develops in those with addictive tendencies. Oversized egos sometimes try to compensate for the self-loathing, while other times, the self-loathing completely takes over.   Some individuals in recovery make the harmful choice to think of their self-loathing as “facing the truth” or “owning up” to what they did while under the influence; however, there is a difference between being honest with yourself and beating yourself up about something. Continually meditating on berating yourself for things you did wrong does not enable you to move forward and grow into a positive place.   Self-loathing is often explained as an entity unto itself. By recognizing it and naming it, you begin to have more power over it. By calling it “the mean voice” or “the monster,” and recognizing that it isn’t truly you who is speaking or thinking those thoughts takes away half of its power. Have you ever heard another individual describe their own self loathing and think, wow, but he’s such a great guy, or she’s so smart and hilarious? This is the way you need to train yourself to think about your own self loathing. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but…