Recovery

Recovery is a transformative experience where each person can set future goals and discover new practices that can lead to a new, sober lifestyle. However, recovery is challenging and requires a great deal of commitment.  Nothing about overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol is easy, and coping with the anxiety, depression, or withdrawal symptoms that accompany the process can add even more hurdles. Despite the difficulty, recovery is always possible. However, it demands that each individual be willing to commit themselves wholly to their transformation both inside and outside the recovery sphere.

The stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we can or cannot do determines our reality. The problem is, so many of these stories are rooted in beliefs learned from childhood when we lacked the proper understanding of life or may have been someone else’s beliefs pressed onto us. The core beliefs we have about ourselves need to be reexamined every once in a while to be sure that they are serving us well. Often limiting beliefs may have led to addiction in the first place, so when it comes to breaking an addiction, it is crucial to first break any limiting beliefs surrounding it. The way you “break” a self-limiting belief is to reframe it in an empowering way.  One of the basic self-limiting beliefs in substance abuse is that you can’t imagine life without your drug(s) of choice and that life would be too boring without it. For instance, if you are having trouble believing you can quit drinking alcohol, begin to reframe this belief by first realizing that there is a layer of social conditioning in believing you need to drink to have fun. It is merely your perception that alcohol leads to a good time, but is that necessarily the reality when you always end up crying alone after a long night of drinking? Instead of letting alcohol hold all of the power, the real power is in choosing to quit which will free you from your addiction and dependency on having alcohol in your life and to having a good time. Choose to focus on the true freedom that life without addiction brings and see that you are an active participant in choosing what you want and are in control of your life. To help identify some of the self-limiting beliefs that may be fueling your addiction, try following these steps.

The goal and responsibility of treatment are to help you overcome your addiction and attain the tools to sustain a productive and meaningful life of sobriety. You should not view treatment as your only responsibility to overcome and rid yourself of your addiction, disease, or disorder. Remember, recovery is a lifelong process. For some, realizing the amount of work that goes into staying sober is intimidating and can deter them from seeking help.  While treatment cannot cure your addiction, it offers you a look at the person and life you could be living while sober, and this can stand to inspire and motivate you. It also connects you with people with whom you can form meaningful relationships to help keep you on the path to recovery. Still, you might worry about your responsibilities after treatment. So, let's take a look at what happens after treatment ends and how you can best prepare yourself with an aftercare plan to handle everyday life challenges in the real world.

The dangers and risks of pregnant women abusing drugs and/or alcohol are well understood and documented. Over 1,000 women in the United States since the 1970s have even been arrested exclusively for substance use while pregnant. There is no better time to get sober than a looming pregnancy, but even after being clean, women are haunted by their substance abuse history. Some recovering addicts have deep concerns about the viability of their bodies to give birth to a healthy baby because of their past. Fortunately, after sustained sobriety, you can have a beautiful and healthy pregnancy like anyone else.

When some people recognize that they have an addiction problem, their first instinct may be to try and overcome it on their own instead of getting help. They might be in denial or feel ashamed to reach out for help. However, this approach’s problem is that the techniques used to get sober on your own rarely sustain lasting recovery and perpetuate addiction when deciding to drink or use again.  Attaining lasting recovery takes work, and being able to connect with others. It all begins with taking the first step to reaching out for help. 12-Step programs are some of the most effective ways to overcome and manage your addiction. If you feel intimidated to attend, understand that these programs uphold traditions that serve as staples of maintaining the process's safety and integrity - including your identity. Looking at each tradition in-depth to better understand may help you become more confident about seeking the help you need.

Loneliness is a difficult emotion to experience in recovery but is often a natural part of the recovery process. Drinking and/or using may have even been triggered by loneliness in the first place as a way to seek comfort from feeling rejected, alone, or unwanted. Fortunately, there are concrete ways to prevent feelings of loneliness during recovery.

The path of recovery can be incredibly bewildering and yet undeniably fulfilling. Our process is always changing, showing us what we need to see to grow. It also propels us into the crux of what it means to become truly alive. To be alive is often a beautiful and yet a heart-breaking experience as it means we are awake and aware of everything that life throws at us; all of the beauty, pain, reasons we wake up, and all of the reasons we sometimes cry ourselves to sleep. While being awake in life is a gift and worth it, this does not mean that it will not come without its share of challenges. Sometimes shame, guilt, confusion, anger, and doubt can control life quality before seeking help and recovery. Such thoughts can linger, creating self-deprecating belief systems, and it can become confusing to practice humility and grace on the road to recovery. Watching a loved one struggle to find balance can be difficult, too. However, there are effective ways to help support a loved one and keep them walking the recovery path.

With the holiday season now at our doorstep, the expectation of giving our loved ones the best gift possible comes along with it. Gift-giving can bring so much joy and, in the same breath, feel very challenging, depending on who it's for and what the person means to us. Being particular about giving gifts to our loved ones in recovery is important because we want to make sure that our present doesn’t risk their sobriety while also supporting their new life.

The peer support model of substance abuse treatment has grown increasingly popular over the past several years. Evidence of its efficacy has been shown through a few studies of peer-based therapies for mental health disorders. Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS) have limited empirical evidence in terms of substance abuse, but their outlook is promising. Peer supporters provide a quality of counseling that others cannot. Their experiential knowledge allows them to empathize with patients in a more meaningful capacity. And though the research is small and limited, many recovery programs have already implemented PRSS.

Self-care may be abandoned when you are struggling with substance use. Physical fitness may be a form of self-care we neglect, as we may not be as concerned with our health as we should. However, many people recovering from substance use disorder (SUD) greatly benefit from physical fitness routines. Research shows promising signs of physical fitness as a tool for SUD and mental health recovery. Physical fitness can be as simple as walking or riding a bike. Whatever routine you pick, there are proven benefits for substance use recovery.

There are several ways to support a family member in recovery, even if they cannot commit to formal therapy sessions. Understanding why a family member may have begun to use substances can be very hard. Sometimes, parents feel like they may have done something wrong. However, this may not be true. There may be many reasons why someone chooses to use substances. A person’s environment, psychological traits, and stress levels all play significant roles in using alcohol or drugs. Learning about your family member’s addiction with a non-judgemental attitude is key to helping them reach the point of recovery. Seeking help for young adults struggling with substance use as soon as possible is critical. People who start using drugs or alcohol early in life run a higher risk of becoming addicted. Research suggests that children experiment with drugs based on their perceived risks of using. If a child grows up in a household where substance use is normalized, their risk assessment will be higher than usual. Families need to learn about different substances and their long-term negative impacts on health together. Understanding the details about family-based recovery models and their ideas of non-judgmental support is vital to the recovery process. It’s hard to positively influence family members if there is a misunderstanding of our loved ones’ process. An open communication flow is critical in any relationship, and many family-based treatment models incorporate communicative skills into their sessions. Having open communication with a family member who uses substances is also vital to their recovery. Free communication channels mean that they may come to you with issues they have tried to hide before. If a substance user feels like they will be judged or given harsh punishment, they may keep complicated matters to themselves, making open communication and a foundation of trust essential.

Phobias can be debilitating for the many people who experience them. The symptoms of phobias go beyond feeling a bit uncomfortable or scared of something. We often hear people talk about being afraid of spiders and heights, which are very common phobias. But sometimes people have more intense phobias that interfere with their quality of life. Agoraphobia and social phobia are two types of phobias that prevent people from completing daily tasks. Fortunately, there are therapies available for the treatment of phobias. Cognitive behavioral therapy is most often used to treat phobias either alone or in combination with other therapies. In treating a phobia, be sure to seek the help of a mental health professional who has specific experience or expertise in the area.