The vast majority of people struggling with addiction never get the help they need to recover. For those of us who are fortunate enough to get help, we have a powerful opportunity that we should take full advantage of. We might be well served remembering how common it can be to overdose, and what a devastating epidemic addiction has grown to be. When we are able to benefit from a recovery program, we have a unique chance to take advantage of a gift we’re being given.
When working our recovery program, we’ll want to make the most out of the opportunities we’re being given. Push yourself to attend meetings regularly. Dig deep and be thorough in your work with your therapist. Learn new things and explore new activities. Connect with a sponsor. Bring in your loved ones for family therapy sessions and workshops. Participate in any service projects you can. Dive into your recovery program and try to approach it with eagerness. Look for ways to be inspired. Glean every piece of wisdom you can.
One of the ways we work our program most effectively is to start finding ways to give back. Service is an important part of recovery that helps us to feel fulfilled and connected to our purpose. We’re reminded that we have something beautiful to offer other people. We can use our experience as a way to give back. We can inspire other people with our story.
Working our program takes a level of commitment that we’re not always prepared to give. Relapsing is a common reality for many of us. We make the conscious decision to get better when we feel we have no other choice, when our lives have become so unmanageable that we can’t possibly continue if we want to survive. We empower ourselves when we choose to work our recovery program not because someone in our lives has tried to convince us to, but because we ourselves have been growing in awareness about what we want and need out of our lives. Living through the cycles of our addiction teaches us about our own self-destructiveness, about our propensity for self-harm, about the ways in which our addictions are manifestations of our self-hate. When we decide we would rather love ourselves and treat ourselves well, we commit to consciously working our program and putting our all into it.
Riverside Recovery is committed to helping you get back the life you love. Our treatment programs include multiple forms of therapy, family workshops and mindfulness-based relapse prevention education. Call (800) 871-5440 for more information.