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It
doesn't matter whether your drug of choice has
been alcohol, cocaine, speed, Valium, gambling,
sex, food, or another mood-altering substance or
activity. The problems you face in recovery will,
for the most part, be the same. To bring this fact
home, we refer throughout our program to the
disease of: "addiction" and to anyone afflicted
with it as an "addict". We occasionally use
"mood-altering chemical", "chemical substance", or
just plain "drugs' to mean all drugs, including
alcohol.
Keep in mind that if you have had a problem
with one or more of these substances, switching to
another in recovery - from alcohol to pot, for
example, or from pills to booze - will intensify,
not cure, your problem. If you have trouble with
one mind-altering substance, you will have trouble
with all of them.
Phase One: Saving Your
Life
In this stage, which starts with a rude awakening
more often than a spiritual one, your chief
concern is survival. You may seem self-centered
to family and friends, focusing all your energies
on yourself and your recovery (just as you focused
them on your drug or alcohol addiction). But that's
the way early recovery is. A mutual support group
like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can help you move
into sobriety successfully, You can learn to get
the most out of such a group, and how to deal with
your family and friends, and job during this time.
Your body will probably complain bitterly, with
new symptoms related to recovery and old ones
you never noticed when your brain was anesthetized.
Your head will probably be shrouded in fog, and
your emotions will flip-flop frequently. You'll
need to learn how to cope with body, mind, and
moods without chemical support. We will help get
you through this often difficult, sometimes
painful, but ultimately rewarding adjustment
period.
Phase Two: Enjoying Your
Life
With the craving for alcohol or drugs diminishing
and your recovery on track, you can switch gears
from saving your life to making it more
fulfilling. Work at rebuilding old relationships
and beginning new ones; look for new educational
opportunities and job challenges; and explore
hobbies and leisure activities. With a smog-free
head, more stable emotions, you can begin to have
fun.
Phase Three: Extending
Your Life
Somewhere in the third or fourth year of sobriety
(a little earlier for some, a little later for
others), the focus switches again. Once you've
saved your life and learned to enjoy it, it's time
to consider how you can best extend it. We'll
explain how to do this with the help of a sensible
diet, a realistic exercise program, and other
preventive health measures. This phase is also the
time to continue to reach out to help others. |
