Grandiosity and feelings of uniqueness can be a real obstacle to recovery.

 It is possible to overcome such thinking by:

• If grandiosity is having a serious impact on the individual’s life it may be a sign of mental illness. They will be best advised to seek a professional opinion.
• The individual needs to challenge their own thoughts when they are feeling superior or special. Each individual is special and unique to a large degree, but in the important fundamental ways all humans are the same.
• Learning to empathize with other people allows the individual to see the commonalities between themselves and other people. Empathy is not about feeling sorry about for someone else but about trying to understand what it is like to be them.
• Meditation techniques such as mindfulness can be effective at helping people spot the errors in their own thought processes.
• In 12 Step groups they recommend that members listen to the similarities and not the differences. This helps the individual see beyond their feelings of uniqueness.
• Cultivating a humble attitude and a beginner’s mind are great assets in sobriety.
• Improved self esteem usually develops in recovery as the individual achieves small successes followed later by bigger successes. When people have high self esteem there is less need for them to blow their own trumpet.
• Most spiritual paths will lead to a reduction in ego as part of the process.
• Helping other people can be another effective way to overcome feelings of grandiosity. In order for this work though, the individual must not look down on the person they are trying to help.
• The person needs to realize that they do not need to be extra special in order for them to be valuable as a human.