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Life After Addiction
Yes, Virginia, there is a...life after addiction. And establishing a realistic awareness of just what that life consists of is one of the fundamental tasks in recovery. In general, 'life after recovery' includes the following:
Joy
Pain
Stress
Harmony
Success
Failure
Anger
Shame
Pride
Accomplishment
...any and every other possible life experience
In other words, 'life after addiction' is just life. It's not some magical place--akin to heaven on earth. It is real. Real pain, real love, real stress, real anxiety, real joy, real loss, real mistakes, real accomplishment. In fact, for most people transitioning away from addiction, it will initially be harder than it will be at any time in your future. The holes that you have dug for yourself must be repaired. The baggage from the addiction must be overcome--personally and socially. The skills that come so easily for others must be rebuilt. This is the reality of recovery. Heck, it is recovery--rebuilding your life so that it rests on a strong, balanced and healthy foundation. Recovery won't let you avoid the inevitable disappointments of life, but it will allow you to manage them in such a way as to keep your perspective and control.
Without this awareness, many fall into the trap of recovery never living up to their expectations. This then leads to relapse. Such an understanding is the basis for living a healthy life. Using the knowledge that, no matter what happens--the trivial, the painful and the awesome--I will embrace it and act in a manner that best represents the person that I am inside. And if I make a mistake...I learn and move on. If I succeed, I learn and move on. But what I don't do is to look for ways to escape the experiences of that life through addiction.
For those who haven't done so already, put aside the activity of 'being in recovery'...and commit yourself to changing. Commit yourself to eliminating the patterns of addiction, so that you will be free to embrace life--all of it. Even the hard times. And do so proudly. Confidently.
Yes, Virginia, there is a...life after addiction. And establishing a realistic awareness of just what that life consists of is one of the fundamental tasks in recovery. In general, 'life after recovery' includes the following:
Joy
Pain
Stress
Harmony
Success
Failure
Anger
Shame
Pride
Accomplishment
...any and every other possible life experience
In other words, 'life after addiction' is just life. It's not some magical place--akin to heaven on earth. It is real. Real pain, real love, real stress, real anxiety, real joy, real loss, real mistakes, real accomplishment. In fact, for most people transitioning away from addiction, it will initially be harder than it will be at any time in your future. The holes that you have dug for yourself must be repaired. The baggage from the addiction must be overcome--personally and socially. The skills that come so easily for others must be rebuilt. This is the reality of recovery. Heck, it is recovery--rebuilding your life so that it rests on a strong, balanced and healthy foundation. Recovery won't let you avoid the inevitable disappointments of life, but it will allow you to manage them in such a way as to keep your perspective and control.
Without this awareness, many fall into the trap of recovery never living up to their expectations. This then leads to relapse. Such an understanding is the basis for living a healthy life. Using the knowledge that, no matter what happens--the trivial, the painful and the awesome--I will embrace it and act in a manner that best represents the person that I am inside. And if I make a mistake...I learn and move on. If I succeed, I learn and move on. But what I don't do is to look for ways to escape the experiences of that life through addiction.
For those who haven't done so already, put aside the activity of 'being in recovery'...and commit yourself to changing. Commit yourself to eliminating the patterns of addiction, so that you will be free to embrace life--all of it. Even the hard times. And do so proudly. Confidently.
