One of the things that is the hardest to accept by addicts and the people in their support systems is the fact that recovery from addiction is an ongoing lifelong process. It is a state that must be maintained through every growth cycle in a life after the addiction occurs. Recovery is a daily task that an addict must commit to completing – without compromise.

The best way to honor that commitment is by embracing the joy of reinventing yourself. If you are to leave the destructive habits of addiction , you must acknowledge that recovery is the process of creating a new life – one that is filled with honesty, discovery and humility.

The Spiritual River approach to this process (called the Creative Theory of Recovery) is for the addict to recognize that at any given moment of his life, he is either “creating recovery or creating addiction.” That is the most sobering trigger when you decide to stay clean understanding that every event of your life is either a step forward into your new life or a step backwards into relapse. Naturally, any move toward relapse is a state you want to avoid at all times.

The complexities that surround addiction almost require you to know that you are abandoning a lifestyle. This also means that anyone who is an obstacle to that kind of progress must be abandoned as well. Many things (and most people) that have been a part of the old addicted lifestyle have been in place as a support for your addiction. All of these crutches must be abandoned and eventually replaced.

Recovery from addiction is a process of personal growth in which you agree to care lovingly for yourself – mind, body and spirit. So, at each turn in your journey, you must make choices that require you to place your own welfare above many other desires. It is the most important action you will take toward your new life as a recovering addict.

Filed under: Alcohol Treatment

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!