As anyone who has successfully made it through their first year of sobriety will tell you, falling in love with sobriety can be an arduous, challenging, sometimes tedious, yet always rewarding experience. While this journey certainly requires a captain at the helm, in order to set ourselves up with the best chance for lasting sobriety, we would be remiss not to incorporate some deckhands for the journey that lies ahead in order to help aid us through some of the murkiest and dangerous waters to come. The first year in recovery can pose many potentially overpowering problems; the first, and arguably most important question we ask ourselves in relation to this quandary is, “Why should I not go back to doing what I was doing? Its comfortable, familiar, and I won’t have to feel the way I’m feeling now.” This is a question we have all asked ourselves in one way or another throughout the course of addiction recovery.
The answer, however, is not a simple one as the question needs to be unpacked further. The reality is that we are correct in asking this question. As a family member or loved one who has watched the devastation that addiction has wreaked, this may sound like an insane inquiry, and to put the minds of worried families reading this at ease, it is certainly that. That being said, it is, in fact, reasonable when viewed through the eyes of the addict to ask why they might consider stopping this cyclical pattern of behavior and obsession.
It is important to acknowledge the seductive component of addiction as a means to delimit the potential further romanization of their relationship to their drug. The following is a brief metaphor to illustrate this: Your loved one has been in a long term but chaotic mess of a relationship with someone who has brutalized them physically, verbally, emotionally, and has essentially ruined their life. Your loved one has recently gained some insight and clarity on their predicament and is contemplating as to whether they might be better served leaving the relationship altogether. As someone who wants to support their loved one, it would be most advantageous to unpack the pros and cons of staying in the relationship, ask questions about how the relationship may be a barrier to personal progress, and then try and discern what is actually keeping them in this holding pattern where chaos and indifference rule. Addressing the question of “Why would I not go back to doing what I’ve been doing” is one that we cannot afford to breeze past. If we are going to effectively aid individuals in navigating these initial waters, we must be willing to have an honest conversation. There is a comedy bit where the premise was essentially, “What do I say to my kids when they ask me if drugs are bad? I could lie or I could tell them the truth that drugs are a perfect solution to all of life’s problems.” While this was said in jest, it is cryptically honest in the sense that we, as addicts, believe this to be true, as we would not risk our own annihilation if it weren’t. The problem in this comedic premise is specific because while drugs are a perfect temporary solution to problems, they are also in fact the facilitator to our complete and utter destruction in the long term. Once we can gain this insight, we can begin to start moving towards maximizing personal evolution and growth as opposed to merely minimizing destruction.
Once we can honestly acknowledge that there is a problem, admit that what we know currently is not sufficient to solve the problem, and that we need help from others to find these answers, another primary problem arises in the form of lack of social support and accountability. Support and accountability are two of the most important facets of an effective recovery program. The newly sober individual, even after making the decision to forge new strategies to cope with, and excelling in, their lives, is incredibly susceptible to relapse not only into drug use but into antiquated behavior patterns that if not acknowledged and redirected, could indicate severe problems.
It would be ignorant to believe that a laissez-faire approach with respect to accountability would be the most effective. Hired Power has not only identified a serious problem area in the realm of individuals in early recovery, but they have worked to provide solutions. By providing recovery management, safe rides, and personal recovery assistants, Hired Power has filled a void in the realm of long-term treatment with suffering individuals. Maintaining a relationship with at least one individual who has a vested interest in our sobriety will most certainly increase the chances of long term sobriety, markedly. We come to understand early on in recovery that we cannot overcome our addictions without the help of others, and we learn to trust that when we allow our “self-will to run riot” we get horrific outcomes that not only affect ourselves, but our loves ones as well. Hired Power offers solutions to this specific problem by implementing support via other recovering addicts who have themselves forged a path of personal evolution, and who are able to help guide the newly recovering individual away from the seduction and temptation of addiction, and into the light of recovery, balance, growth, and the fostering of personal meaning.
Hired Power has the experience, expertise and supportive environment to help you achieve lasting recovery. We’re here to help you every step of the way. Call us today: (800) 910-9299.