Recovery

SMART Recovery is an abstinence oriented support program that helps individuals who suffer from substance use disorders. It is helpful for some individuals to utilize this adaptation of recovery after or during treatment. Its main objective is to help you become confident and self-empowered. Your substance use disorder does not define you and in fact, SMART recovery does not use labels like "addict" or "alcoholic" to identify you. It provides global support and meetings for anyone that may be struggling with substance usage. It uses a scientific 4 point program to help you become independent of your substance usage. Their model is based on a four-point program in behavioral change. This includes, building and maintaining the motivation to change, coping with urges to use, managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in an effective way without addictive behaviors, and living a balanced, positive, and healthy life. The motivation they use is the awareness that we all have human problems. We don't want to experience pain and we want to experience happiness as much as possible. Our substance use minds want this, yet do not see the long term effects. We are impulsive and mainly focus on short term goals that can sabotage us in the long run.

There are many pathways to getting sober. You may find that you are not interested in joining a specific 12-step fellowship in regards to getting sober and that is okay. It is an important fact to disclose, however, that you talk about what method is best in line with where you are at in your recovery goals. Some people get to a place where they realize their relationship with substances is causing problems and they want to change their behavior. Others have a strong faith and relationship with a higher power that has helped them realize they no longer want to use substances. Whatever the case may be 12 step recovery is not the only solution or pathway in staying sober.

Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy where a group of individuals discusses their problems together under the care of a licensed professional. It is common to feel apprehensive at first when you are asked to get vulnerable and share with other people at this level. It can feel uncomfortable or there may exist fear that others won't understand. The common goal of group therapy is to identify patterns and behaviors concerning the problem. This is done with other individuals that suffer from the same problem. What this allows is complete acceptance of others and your dilemma. Groups provide support to the individual. When you experience a mental health issue it is common to feel like you are completely alone in feeling that way. Sometimes you are the only one in your family that may be struggling. If you suffer from substance use disorder it can feel like the world is against you. Other people who don't suffer from this may not understand completely although they want to help. When you are in a group therapy setting, other people with this common issue share about the difficulties and in that setting you won't feel alone. Feeling isolated in these disorders can be detrimental to the recovery process. Therefore, getting honest is key.

If you have been following the stay-at-home order, then you are probably starting to go a little stir crazy by now. If you live by yourself, you may be feeling lonely or sick of seeing yourself. There is a phenomenon where people are experiencing "Zoom exhaustion" from the consistent exposure of their own faces and other people's faces on camera. It may feel awkward and a little uncomfortable or like your privacy is hindered — because it is, in a way. We live in a world where that is currently the new normal. Anyone can stare at your screen and It is our human nature to be nervous about what people will think of us or say about us. It is different than before because when we had in-person meetings, most people would doze off into space or look at whoever is talking rather than be hyperfocused on any convenient screen.

Most of us have experienced some form of trauma whether it happened in childhood or the immediate past. Most individuals that have substance use disorders have also suffered from trauma. The road to healing must begin whenever you decide you are ready to take a look at it. It can feel discouraging at times or it can be overwhelming, however, what is most important is to remember that it doesn't define you. It is not your identity and you are not unlovable because of it. Patience is a key factor in getting better. Become aware of how you are feeling. It is important to become aware of how your body and mind respond to certain things. You may realize quickly that there are "triggers" which entice a panic response from your body and mind. By becoming aware of your emotions the next thing to do is allow them to come out. Many people experience panic attacks because they are suppressing unresolved emotions. They either avoid them because they don't want to experience them or shove them down as if they don't exist. This results in delayed emotional responses or inappropriate responses to situations that you may deem as stressful. Try keeping a log where you write down whenever you feel overwhelmed or stressed out. Maintaining a journal can help you track your progress as well as anything that may be triggering your responses. This is helpful to gain awareness of recurring situations. Minimize isolation as much as possible. It is our instinct to hide when we feel overwhelmed. When we aren't feeling well it is understandable that we aren't going to want to be around people. However, isolation can be destructive to the healing process. If you isolate it can cause you to avoid any pent up feeling or emotion that you may be avoiding further. Connection with others is vital to feeling better. Most of the time your friends have gone through something similar and can help you through it. It is something you must do together because the recovery process isn't lonely. Make sure to seek out the necessary support. If you are not going to a professional, it is recommended to do so. It is important, to be honest, and transparent about any obstacles you may be experiencing. The great part about it is you get to choose how the healing process occurs. If at some point you need to stop it is okay to do so, just keep in mind that it is a slow process.

Forgiveness is a word we hear often and we may think it is very easy to forgive. If a friend crosses us or a family member apologizes we know how to forgive them. We understand that they are trying their best just like we are. However, it can be difficult to think about how to forgive yourself for any wrongdoings you have done. Especially if some of the actions you have taken in the past are in your mind unforgivable. Being under the influence changes our state of mind. It alters how we perceive the world and it changes how we would normally behave. When we get sober all the memories of the things we did come flooding back like a tidal wave. This can be hard on our psyche.

It is said that there are three parts to the recovery program. That is the recovery part, service aspect, and the unity portion of the program. These three parts of the program are what is said to be the "recipe" for success in long term sobriety. When you first get sober, the program of recovery itself can be confusing. If it is your first time trying to get sober you may be wondering to yourself what are the steps, or what does a sponsor do?

The way that we talk about ourselves, our life experiences, and others says a lot about how we view the world. Our society holds many different perceptions of social phenomena – some positive, and some not so positive. Unfortunately, when it comes to the world of addiction recovery, there tends to be a lot of stigmatized language that only further promotes exclusion and discrimination. Rather than shaming those who battle with addiction, we need to open our hearts and minds to them – because true support is what will help them more than anything.

One of the best feelings in recovery is one of strength, gratitude, and stability. Of course, this always takes time. Whether you are seeking treatment for addiction or mental illness, it’s important to get yourself into a state of calm and clarity to start off your journey to recovery.

When someone goes through a traumatic event, no two people will experience it in the same way. Their coping mechanisms will likely vary because they’re trying to do whatever it takes to move forward from being utterly shocked and terrified. Healing from trauma is incredibly challenging because it can affect nearly every aspect of our lives – but if we work hard to recover from it, we may find that we’re stronger and more resilient than we realized. It’s not uncommon for people in addiction recovery to have some sort of childhood trauma in their past. Just because it happened doesn’t mean that healing isn’t possible. By learning more about what trauma is and how it can affect your life, you’ll be empowered to make healthier choices when it comes to treatment.

Recovery is considered a lifelong process for a reason – because we’re constantly learning new things and discovering how to work through our trials and tribulations. Recovery is about learning what leads us to better living and what puts us back in harm’s way. The beginning of our recovery journey can be especially difficult because of the heightened risk of relapsing. When a person relapses, they revert back to old addictive behavior patterns, even if temporarily. Relapse is one of the most feared aspects of recovery, simply because it’s often viewed as a sign of failure. But relapse is a normal part of the recovery process and should not be considered a failure - it is simply an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and what we need for complete healing.

Most of us strive to be happy throughout our lives – that’s all we want. Of course, there are many things that we might associate with happiness, including success, money, relationships, appearance, and more. You may have even spent lots of time thinking about what you can do to build your happiness in life, only to find that it’s short-lived. It’s not uncommon for people to seek out things that make them happy for a temporary amount of time, only to discover that they didn’t fill in the void that lies within their heart and soul. Although social media will tell us (or show us) that happiness means we need to be smiling all the time, it’s simply not feasible. What we can and should be doing, however, is taking control of what we feed our mind, body, and spirit each day so that we can enter into a beautiful state of flow, which is a form of happiness within itself.