I feel that there are some problems with existing recovery programs that we currently use to treat addiction and alcoholism. Basically, the success rates are not very inspiring or encouraging, regardless of who is measuring, and I feel that we could, should, or ought to do better.
At the very least we should be pushing ourselves to learn more about recovery and go further than existing models. They say if it’s not broke then don’t fix it, but our best efforts only produce very small success rates.
So my primary purpose with this website is to further refine a solution that goes beyond twelve step recovery. I think we can do better and I’m doing my part to explore alternatives.
What problems exist within traditional recovery programs?
There are a number of problems, some of them much greater than others:
1) Trying to give easy answers to complex questions - I’ve noticed a trend in treating addiction–everyone wants to simplify things and make out a simple solution for recovery. Addiction is complicated and so is a comprehensive recovery program. The people who claim that a solution is simple don’t understand that they have personal bias; they are already living their own solution, thus it is familiar to them and relatively simple. But to explain their solution and apply it to someone else’s life and recovery–well, that is another story.
2) Programs need to be individualized–instead they are “one-size-fits-all” - I don’t recommend that any person out there work my exact program of recovery, because it has been customized for me specifically. For example, I run outdoors upwards of 30 miles each week, and I find it to be very meditative. Believe it or not running has become a large part of my recovery. Of course you can see that this would not work for everyone, nor should it. We are all unique, and we all tap into spirituality and holistic principles in a different way.
3) Existing programs lead to dogma and stagnation - There’s always a deeper level, another layer of spiritual truth. All of the great teachers (Jesus, Bhudda, etc.) have said to look within for the answers. So what happens when a Big Book becomes the ultimate layer of truth, and people in recovery never look beyond it for answers? What happens is that they will never find any answers beyond that resource, because they have accepted it as their ultimate truth. This leads to stagnation in recovery because we have placed boundaries around how much we can grow. “More will be revealed,” but there is a tendency in recovery programs to limit the search for knowledge to their own texts.
What is the answer?
I don’t claim to have the answer–I only claim to be seeking it. My best ideas can be found throughout this website regarding a more comprehensive approach to recovery. It’s not that existing treatment models don’t work….it’s that they work for so few people. If we truly care about helping the struggling addict and alcoholic then we need to push to find more successful treatment models. The creative theory of recovery is a work in progress towards this goal.
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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my name is jess and i live with an alcholic stay at home mum, and her youngest daughter kate who is 13 and puts up with getting yelled at everynight vicki the stay a home mum goes from being nice kind and caring to being mean when she drinks. she relys on it now, she is a completly different person when shes drinking. she is going through a break up and we try and help her but she doesnt listen all she wants to do is drink and we end up having to hide the wine and it is very hard on the youngest daughter what do we do ??