From addiction to recovery

Recovery takes knowledge, commitment and effort. It’s a process and not an event. That is, relapse, backsliding or returning to what has occurred. It occurs if you are not applying knowledge, commitment and effort to your recovery on an ongoing basis. Like driving a car or riding a bike, recovery for many gets easier, but even when you have been doing it for years, you still need to be aware of the dangers and travel in a way that keeps you safe. Addiction, like driving recklessly, can be fatal for you and others. 

Just because you feel you have no choice around your addiction doesn’t mean that you don’t have choice, you do, but you do however need to apply knowledge, commitment and effort to connect with that choice and have the ability to carry it out consistently.

The motivation to change can be a confusing aspect of addiction and recovery for many people; they can hold both awareness and desire to stop at the same time as a compulsion to continue their addiction. This is further confirmation that addiction is present. Some people have lost the ability to see clearly and consistently the damage that their addiction does, and minimise or deny this reality; this again is addiction.

The lift of addiction stops at many floors. You don’t have to go to the bottom to get off, however, if you have, recovery is still possible.

Addiction is less about giving up something and more about gaining something, that something is a more meaningful, authentic and connected life. Addiction takes things, recovery gives them back, including; self-esteem, love for and from self and others, meaning, passion, ability to deal with life’s challenges, healing, and hope.

Start your journey to a more meaningful life, start your recovery.