Look – the first thing that you need to understand, is that recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism, is something totally separate from treating these addictions.
Treating addiction is typically the three-four-five-or six week period you spend at a rehab/treatment center – detoxing, receiving ongoing care and treatment using various methods like counselling, and helping you deal with the issues that led you to a life of addiction.
Recovery is what you do once you leave rehab – i.e. what you do the rest of your life in trying to stay clean and sober. And this is where I think a lot of addicts go wrong and why relapse rates are so high – because they see treatment as the end point, where in fact is really is only the beginning of the road for you.
Recovery from alcoholism and addiction then, is in essence, about the consistent habits and new way of life you create for yourself – so that you stay on the road of recovery road and don’t end up relapsing.
It’s the NA/AA/12-Step or spiritual program you consistently practice, dealing with your emotions and feelings so you don’t use them as an excuse for drinking or using again, making sure you hang with the right kind of people (not your old using buddies), having someone you can call when you’re feeling low …
So in other words – recovery is all about taking continuous action and forming new life affirming habits that will leave the destructive addict part of you a thing of history – and bring to the fore your warrior, spirited self that will flourish despite what life may throw at you.
That’s why treatment should be seen as preparation and a stepping stone towards recovery – not the end itself. Now I know not everyone gets professional treatment or goes to rehab in overcoming their addictions – but those that succeed whether it be consciously or not – make fundamental changes to their lives and work at it on a continuous basis.
Remember alcoholism recovery and recovery from drug addiction is a process that that you need to work at and follow for the rest of your life. Sure, it can be tough at the start, but I promise it does get so much easier and soon enough you won’t even recognise the person you used to be.
Lots more Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery tips can be found at Carl-Peter’s website about Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol, where you can also claim his FREE Book on How to Overcome Alcoholism and Drug Addiction