Recovery is More Than Just Staying Sober

Knowing nothing about this disease or about its solution, it’s hard to understand that recovery is more than just staying sober. When we look at our loved one and we just want them to stop drinking or to stop doing drugs. We believe that the drugs are causing all of the problems, which the simple solution would be to just not put drugs or alcohol into the addict’s system. There is so much more to it than that.

It’s not that addicts can’t stop; it’s that they cannot stay stopped. There is there peculiar mental twist that disables the addict from having any power or choice in the matter. The firm resolution will never combat with the insanity of the disease. More so, the drugs or alcohol are an insufficient solution for the real problem. When I was in my disease and I was untreated, whether untreated do to not working a recovery program or because I didn’t have my drugs; I would become angry, anxious, depressed. The drugs never made me manipulate or lie, I lied and manipulated to do everything I could to treat my internal unmanageability. When the unmanageability kicks up it’s as if the addict goes on auto pilot seeking out whatever they know will work, and they will do whatever it takes to get it. These two features, the mental and spiritual occur when the addict is sober; only the third feature, the physical allergy, occurs when drugs or alcohol are in the system.

Recovery offers a sufficient solution that will relieve this mental feature, and not make staying sober such a struggle. I just staying sober was enough, all an addict would need to do is detox of the drugs or alcoholic and they could continue to live a peaceful life. But we see everyday thousands go in and out of detox clinics or treatment centers and continue in the insidious disease cycle. I remember every time I would try to quit, it was so painful and agonizing it was a battle that I could never win. Recovery offers a way through the pain, yes when addicts work a recovery program they get sober, but then they can experience happiness and peace of mind. Recovery gives the addicts access to a power which liberates them from the suffering.  Recovery is more than just getting sober, or staying sober, it’s about learning how to live a peaceful, happy life which seems impossible to addicts and alcoholics.