The creative theory of recovery states that in order to recover, we need to actively and purposefully create a new life for ourselves.
This makes sense because when we are actively drinking and using drugs, we were using the theory of creation too (just in an negative way).
This gives us a big clue as to how creation really works. It’s about action.
Most of us did not crash and burn overnight. It took years of alcohol and drug use and abuse before we crossed that line into full blown addiction. Now we still might have been born an addict, but our behavior made us into one over time.
We might have had “bad genes” when it came to addiction, but our situation was still of our own making. We still created our train wreck of a life, one drink (or drug) at a time.
Being trapped in a cycle of addiction meant that we could not see a way out of this pattern. We knew full well that we were creating a future we didn’t want, but we were helpless to prevent it. The alternative to this was to simply stop the drugs and alcohol – a proposition more terrifying than death for most of us. So we continued to self medicate, even knowing that we were creating a messed up life for ourselves.
The tide has a chance to shift if there is a crisis of some sort. For me, I reached this point and agreed to enter a treatment center. From there, the decision was made to attempt to create a new life for myself without drugs and alcohol in it.
Now I’m not sure how to instigate this moment of crisis and if I did I think I could help a lot more struggling addicts. For me it was simply a blessed moment. But the point I’m making here is that once you find yourself in the position of this crisis moment, where you are in a safe place and you’re starting to dry out from the drugs, you have an opportunity. The opportunity is to create a zero tolerance policy with yourself that you’re not going to use drugs or alcohol no matter what. The rest of recovery is figuring out how to deal with that decision. For me, dealing with that decision involves looking at life in terms of creation.
It makes sense to frame recovery in terms of creation because you literally have to create a new life for yourself without the drugs and the alcohol. This was especially true for me because the drugs and the booze was such a huge part of my old life. It defined my world and everything that I did. So the task at hand in recovery is definitely one of creation. A new life must be made, just as the old life had been made with drugs and alcohol.
The fact is that we are always creating a future for ourselves whether we are conscious of it or not. The key for you today is to make a decision that you are going to be conscious about it. Deliberate creation is the key and if you create with positive action then you’re going to get some awesome results. Let the 3 strategies guide you and be mindful of your actions.
Nothing more is required for a successful recovery. What was “made” in active addiction can be unmade in recovery.
Recommended Reading
- Overcoming Addiction
- Addiction Recovery is about Discovering New Layers of Information
- 5 Ways to Supercharge Your Recovery, Avoid Relapse, and Dominate Your Addiction Over the Holiday Season
- 10 Ways to Embrace Creative Recovery and Take Your Sobriety to the Next Level
- Holistic Addiction Treatment Center
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