NEED A RECOVERY PROGRAM?

NEED A RECOVERY PROGRAM?
NEED A RECOVERY PROGRAM?
I am blessed to be acquainted with a great group of people who are involved in addiction recovery and helping others.
Patrick Meninga who operates the web site www.spiritualriver.com is one of those people. Over the years, Patrick and I have collaborated on several pieces of work and we share many common beliefs. Both of us recognize the good work of 12 step programs; both of us believe that there are several options to the addicted to regain a fulfilling life that is addiction free.
In the world of illness and disease, there is a process that is known as recovery. I fully believe that addictions are a (mental) disease and believe that to live without the disease being active, that a planned program of recovery is needed.
Today I share an article from Patrick posted on April 2. I have taken the liberty to make minor edits and have added, in brackets, some personal comments. I think you will find this article of use IF you are interested in living a life free of mood altering addictions and behaviours.
Do You Need a Recovery Program to Recover from Addiction or Alcoholism?
It is a fair question for anyone who is struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism: “Do you need a recovery program in order to recover?”
Many people who are exposed to traditional recovery programs such as AA or NA are instantly turned off by them, for a variety of different reasons. For example, some addicts and alcoholics have a level of social anxiety that makes it extremely difficult for them to sit in a meeting, much less to participate in one.(For many of my clients, their work lives require a high degree of anonymity).
Others may start out in a traditional program of recovery, only to have their growth plateau eventually while their recovery stagnates. What was supposed to be a lifetime solution for recovery lets them down because they do not actively push themselves to keep learning new things and growing in other areas of their lives. So in effect, many addicts and alcoholics who stay in such recovery programs experience common traps where by:
* Safety and security in a familiar program and fellowship lead to complacency and potential relapse.
* Strong faith in “the program” itself keeps the person from exploring new avenues of growth (such as fitness, nutrition, holistic health, etc.).
* Those who get stuck in a rut and stop learning continue to attend the same support groups or meetings, where they are reassured that they are “on the right path.” (I know several I consider to have become addicted to their support group).
* A sense of fear regarding relapse keeps people from leaving traditional recovery programs in order to seek their own solutions, which may be more effective for them in the long run.
* Extreme faith and reverence is put in the program and we put ourselves down as being incapable as individuals. We dis-empower the self in order to stay humble and be accepted by our peers as having a healthy level of humility and caution regarding the possibility of relapse.
In my own personal experience, I started my recovery by using a program of traditional recovery and attended 90 meetings in the first 90 days. However, by the end of 18 months I had stopped going to meetings entirely, and over a decade later I am still going strong without a traditional “program” in my life. (I still attend meetings, but as a part of service to others).
My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with any recovery program, so long as it does not lead you into traps like the ones mentioned above. Anything that gets the struggling addict to take positive action is at least in the realm of being genuinely helpful. But in the long term you have to consider that most people fail to make the jump from short term to long term recovery. This means that:
* Most addicts and alcoholics relapse before the end of their first year of recovery. Pretty much anyone can get by for a few months or so on raw willpower and social “12 step meeting speak” while hanging out at meetings every day. But look at the raw data and see how many are still clean and sober after the 12 month mark. Even AA World Services census data shows that 95% of newcomers leave completely the first year and never
ever return (see figure C-1). Of those who stay, some even relapse but continue to stick around.
• Short term recovery tactics do not translate well into long term recovery. Holistic health and personal growth become the tools used to overcome complacency in the long run. Really dig into the ideas used in most short term recovery solutions (outpatient treatment, counseling, 12 step meetings) and you will see that they do not push the idea of holistic health or personal growth all that much. No, the substance abuse community uses a certain set of ideas to help people sober up, and then their bottom line is simple “do more of that stuff!” in order to transition to a lifetime of recovery. Fail!
• (Coaching looks at addictions as a symptom of a problem, and works with clients to set “life” goals that lead to a holistic balanced approach to daily living and encourages life long growth).
Do You Need a Recovery Program to Recover from Addiction or Alcoholism? is a post from: Spiritual River. Visit at http://www.spiritualriver.com/. Keith can be reached through www.hopeserenity.ca or www.coached-to-success.com .

SPIRITUALITY-SOME THOUGHTS

SPIRITUALITY-SOME THOUGHTS
SPIRITUALITY-SOME THOUGHTS
I work with people who simply put, want to make major change in their life.
The reasons vary and may include addiction, abuse, stress, and depression. The common denominator is that the zest for life is not what they want and personal relationships are stressed or gone. Most of my clients do not love themselves.
Life transformation and the recovery of the life you want is a process. My experience and learning tells me it is a holistic process and one that requires “outside expertise” to guide the journey.
If we could fix ourselves then most of us would do so and if we could learn it from a self-help book, there would be far more joyful people in this world.
The most challenging part of holistic transformation I find in working with others is getting them over the “spiritual” component. Most hear “religion” when the word spiritual is brought up. Some of those I coach may find a “spiritual” home in an organized religion; most don’t.
While reading today, I came across an interesting definition of spirituality that I want to share.
“Spirituality is…..the awareness that survival is a savage fight between you and yourself”. (Lisa S.)
Most of us are aware of an inner struggle; I know as I faced the challenge of transforming my life, I certainly was.
There is good reason that this struggle exists among many, and I gleaned a far better understanding of it while involved in a group study of Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” and from reading his “The Power of Now”. From this study, I read words that helped me achieve clarity as to what was occurring inside of me and to understand why “spirituality” was so important to my life going forward.
One simple thought I had to buy into to allow me to move forward- there is a great power at work in this world and that power is not me. I made a mess of the world that I tried to run which resulted in a number of things that could be filed under the general heading of “unhappiness”. Once I allowed myself to accept that there was a power greater than me at play in this world, my life was open to change.
To survive in a better state of mind, I became very aware of the savage fight going on within.
To get the life I wanted, and to get the courage to change, adding a conscious spiritual component to my life was essential, and the coaching I received was a life saver.
If the hair on your neck bristled slightly when you saw the word spirituality; if that word made you flash (negatively) to the word religion or if you acknowledge the struggle for survival inside of you that Lisa S. refers to, let’s have a chat. Nothing ventured; nothing gained.
(Contact through khbray@rogers.com; websites www.coached-to-success.com and www.hopserenity.ca)