What is the best long term strategy for recovery?
Some would say that spiritual growth and development is the ideal approach, and advocate pursuit of this growth through a 12 step program. Now generally this has the potential to bring good results but it is not necessarily the best solution for everyone. The reason for this is that addiction is not just a spiritual malady as it is described in some programs, but is actually a holistic disease that affects every part of a person. The solution, therefore, is holistic, not spiritual. It is much bigger than just a “spiritual” solution.
We need only look at the overall success rates in 12 step programs to see that the spiritual solution is not enough for most people. It works for some but the vast majority do not make the connection.
3 strategies
These are the 3 strategies that can best guide you in recovery. They are fundamental in that anyone who is actively working a program of recovery is actually using them, whether they know it or not.
1) Caring for self - we have to put our health and our own welfare first. It needs to become a priority in recovery. This includes physical health, emotional balance, spirituality, and so on.
2) Networking with others - peer support is critical, especially in early recovery. Helping others in recovery is particularly powerful.
3) Holistic growth - this is where the action is. Pushing yourself to grow in different ways is the best long-term prevention against relapse.
These 3 strategies are all-encompassing as well. They cover the full spectrum of your recovery and if you can apply these concepts in your life then you need not look outside of them for extra help. The challenge is in genuinely applying the strategies.
A typical relapse story
Most people who relapse in traditional recovery do not even properly diagnose what happened. The typical response that you hear is “I stopped going to meetings.”
This is a misguided analysis and doesn’t get to the heart of the problem. If someone has been sober for a while and they stop going to meetings and therefore relapse, the problem is not that they stopped going to meetings. The problem is that they were still dependent on them as a solution.
This is a critical distinction here so think about it for a moment. If all it takes for you to relapse is that you stop going to meetings, really–what kind of quality sobriety is that? Those who find themselves in this situation have failed to make the transition from early recovery to long term sobriety. In other words, they are still stuck in early recovery and that is why they relapsed due to a lack of meetings.
The best strategy for long term recovery is to shift your focus from heavy networking in early recovery towards a strong emphasis on holistic growth as you progress. If you stay stuck with a dependence on a “social solution” then you are much more vulnerable to relapse. Those who turn personal growth into the main pillar of their recovery are in a better position to achieve long term sobriety.
This is a strong clue to what your long term strategy should be. It’s not that you need to stop going to meetings or stop networking, because those things can still be valuable to your recovery. But understand that when you have a few years or more in recovery, your primary strategy should be one of holistic growth. This is what will fight off complacency and pushing yourself to keep growing is what will keep you sober in the long run.
Some ideas for holistic growth:
1) Fitness, nutrition, eating healthier, diet and exercise. Focus on developing healthy habits. Eliminate the bad, i.e., quitting smoking.
2) Emotional balance. Eliminate chaos from your life. Seek serenity.
3) Spirituality. Meditate. Seek a higher power. Seek to help others.
4) Relationships. Focus on cultivating healthy ones. Eliminate the toxic.
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg and you will find other ways to grow and challenge yourself. This is the key to long term sobriety.
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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I think that fitness is one of the best things in helping with addictions. Most people don’t have that in their life, but when they work out their body starts producing endorphins that are what they naturally need to be addicted to.