As you are getting ready to join this groundbreaking online addiction recovery training, you may ponder the question, why did they develop this now? After working in the recovery field for over 30+ years, I’m still amazed at the amount of misinformation and negativity there is surrounding addictions and recovery. I’ve given this much thought and decided to share with you what I’ve found through working with thousands of clients and being active in my own personal recovery.
I’ve been in a personal recovery for well over 33 years and, unfortunately, the same problems that were present 60 years ago are still present today. In fact, they’re probably worse. This fact was brought to my attention when I started going to more recovery meetings, researching how people get better, and watching people constantly relapse.
When I went back to being the Clinical Director of a substance abuse treatment unit, I saw the same misinformation that was present the last time I ran a unit in the 1990’s. It was also reinforced when I had the honor of being the clinical director of a Psych hospital in the Florida State prison system.
This became especially apparent as I was talking to a recovering alcoholic who, at one point, had several years of sobriety. Now he was unable to go more than a few weeks clean and sober. This addict was doing what many people would call the “relapse shuffle.” It seemed as if every week or two he was coming back into the A.A. or N.A. program after a drinking or drugging relapse. As I talked to him, the person revealed that he was also seeing a therapist and seeking medical help, all to no avail. As we talked my heart sank. I had been in that same boat but had found a way out. I searched for ways to give this person the hope that he could and should recover. I shared with him some of the things we’ll be talking about in this training and gave him some steps to help get back on track.
Seeing others struggle this way not only breaks my heart, it also causes me to wonder why some people make it and others don’t. I’m not the first to ask this question. This has been The Great Question that has plagued recovery professionals since the field started! Why do some people go to an Anonymous meeting, go to therapy, go to a medical doctor or seek spiritual release, then kick their addiction and get on with their lives? Why are some able to do this and recover, while others follow the same steps but with much different results? Some are never able to put down the drink or drug.