The creative theory of recovery contains a holistic approach. Now, I’m not suggesting to treat addiction with holistic medical treatments (such as acupuncture, hypnosis, etc.), but instead that the holistic approach treats the whole person. This means that successful recovery consists of treating a person physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (we might also add socially).

Most recovery programs contain some or most of these elements. Treating addiction physically will usually start with abstinence. Emotional stability can be achieved over time, and our mental faculties return to us as well. Those in 12 step fellowships, such as AA, benefit from the socializing in AA meetings. And most recovery programs contain either a spiritual or religious element in them as a means to sobriety.

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So the holistic approach to recovery is nothing new. But the creative theory of recovery emphasizes the cultivation of these forces in our lives. Even if we are not consciously focusing on this type of development, I would argue that anyone living a successful, long-term recovery is already engaged in this type of holistic approach. Perhaps a recovering addict has been clean and sober for several years and attributes their success to the 12 step program. This is fine, but I would point out that they are also developing in other ways–living a full and balanced life, while progressing in several or all of these holistic categories (maturing emotionally, improving their relationships, completing that college degree, starting an exercise program, and so on).

With the creative theory of recovery, we are not just removing the drugs and the alcohol and expecting the person to live happily ever after. Instead, I’m suggesting that a successful recovery is driven by growth in all areas of a person’s life. One popular example of this that I notice in myself as well as in other recovering alcoholics: after a few years of sobriety, a light bulb goes off, and we see a need to quit smoking. Or to go back to school. Or to reconnect with our family. You get the idea.

I would suggest, too, that even 12 step fellowships such as AA and NA fall a bit short of encouraging people to grow and develop outside of their somewhat restricted dogmas. This is not said to fault those programs in any way, as their singleness of purpose (helping the addict to recover) keeps them from trying to do to many things and thus sacrifice efficiency. In other words, they just help addicts to recover, and nothing else. If they tried to encourage holistic growth in a million different directions, they would become less effective at what they do best.

But some recovering addicts and alcoholics can get stuck in this linear growth. Their is a whole world of growth to be had outside of recovery programs in general. Here are some ideas and examples of what can drive the creative life in recovery:

1) Physical - Exercise can fight depression and help stimulate endorphins and dopamine production, replacing the high from chemicals. But the physical category can also be important outside of addiction…for example, the number one killer of recovering alcoholics is actually lung cancer….a strong incentive to consider quitting smoking in recovery.

2) Emotional - Learning to identify our feelings and communicate them honestly with others is critical to long term success. Doing so prevents the emotional blow-ups that might lead to relapse. Most recovering addicts grossly underestimate the importance of this, under the false idea that “they can handle their emotions.”

3) Mental - Recovery is a learning process. We build layers of interconnected knowledge about how we can stay clean and sober, but also in how to live effectively in other areas (such as career, family life, etc.).

4) Spiritual - The inner strength that fuels our success. Connection to a higher power. Shift in personality from self centered and self seeking behavior to helpfulness and usefulness. A large percentage of those who do relapse probably do so due to neglect in this area.

5) Social - Regular interaction with others on the same path. Identification with other addicts and alcoholics. Important for staying “plugged in” to the recovery mindset. Believe it or not, we can actually forget that we are addicts or alcoholics. Social interaction strengthens our identification with recovery.

Addiction affects the whole person, including each of these areas mentioned. So it naturally follows that any recovery program that seeks to re-create a new life will need to address each of these areas.