They say that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. This is also true for those just beginning their journey of recovery. What may seem to be daunting, maybe even an impossible task – recovery is worth your very best effort. It may just save your life. We’ve been helping people with their roads to recovery for many years and below, we’ve assembled a few helpful pointers to assist you along the way.
- Your path will be different. Because of the intensely personal nature of all addiction, you can be assured that your recovery will be just as intense and equally unique. Sure, there will be common ground surrounding many of your struggles… but just as important as identifying that YOU caused decisions that got you into addiction – you must OWN the daily (sometimes hourly) decision to become sober.
- Recovery requires action on your part. Once you’ve wrapped your head around the fact that your choices got you where you are… the next step involves you taking action steps to initiate your recovery. In many cases, those actions can be broken down into small, easier to manage steps. Maybe it’s actually showing up to a support group. Maybe it’s calling a trusted family member or friend when you need help. Every step on the road to recovery is an action step.
- You don’t have to do recovery alone. Let’s face it – if you could simply snap your fingers and stop the hurtful cycle of addiction… many would start snapping away their troubles. The truth is, you need help doing what you’ve not been able to do by yourself in the past. The good news is that there are many, many people who are interested in you and your safety, and who are qualified and willing to help.
- You are going to fall down. We all do. The ancient Chinese proverb says, “Fall down seven times… Get up eight!”. Struggling is part of recovery. The fact that you struggle is much less important than what you do about your struggle. This is where that action circles back around and makes itself known. If you have a plan for what to do if and when you fall down, the chances of you getting back up and heading in the right direction go up exponentially! Know who to call, where to go and what to do whenever challenges trip you up. Then get up, dust yourself off and get back on track to recovery.
- The recovery lifestyle is long term. Sobriety is a life-long process of affirmation of your decision to stop a negative pattern. Most people will need to remind themselves on a regular basis that the decision to become sober is one that they must make for the rest of their lives.
If you are considering recovery, then it’s time to choose who will help walk you through the process. Here at A New Outlook Counseling Services, we’d love to be that partner with and for you.
We have locations to serve Colorado:
Resources:
https://www.crchealth.com/find-a-treatment-center/washington-treatment-information/5-stages-addiction-recovery/
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
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