Addiction Recovery
The road to addiction recovery is a transformative journey that requires courage, commitment, and a deep understanding of oneself. It’s a process that is as unique as each individual who embarks on it. At its core, the road to recovery is about finding a renewed sense of hope and purpose in life, breaking free from the chains of addiction, and healing the wounds that have been inflicted on both oneself and those around them.
The path to recovery often begins with a critical moment of realization, where the individual acknowledges the need for change and seeks help. This first step is often followed by detoxification, therapy, and participation in support groups such as the 12-step program. Throughout the recovery process, individuals work on overcoming the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of addiction. They learn to confront their past traumas and develop healthier coping mechanisms to handle stress, triggers, and challenging situations.
The 12 Steps
The Promises
- We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The promises of addiction recovery are usually based on the “Promises” outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (pages 83-84). While these promises are specifically tailored to AA, they can be applied to other addiction recovery programs as well.
- We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
- We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
- We will comprehend the word serenity, and we will know peace.
- No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
- That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
- We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
- Self-seeking will slip away.
- Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
- Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
- We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
- We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Keep in mind that these promises are not guaranteed to occur instantly or without effort, but rather are the result of working through the recovery process and maintaining sobriety.
