Feb 24 2009
What Got You Sober Won’t Keep You Sober….
There are a lot of alcoholics and addicts who keep screwing up in recovery and then return to their AA meetings, completely confused about how they can not “get it.” They think that they are failing to grasp a key concept of recovery, but in fact what they are doing is failing in terms of execution. It is not lack of know-how that fails people, but a lack of passion and purpose.
Addiction help comes to those who seek it. If you want to know how to stop drinking it is not going to happen if you are sitting at home on the couch and trying to wish your problem away. There are a bunch of different programs out there for staying clean and sober but the most popular one is AA and NA. Regardless of which program you follow, the key is in taking action.
There is no one recovery program out there that has some sort of special edge or secret knowledge over the other ones - that is not how it works. If you are wondering how to help an alcoholic or addict then the key is in applying a program; not in choosing one. The answer is in taking positive action. You must make a supreme effort if you expect to get awesome results.
One of the biggest keys is in finding a way to connect with others in early recovery. Many alcoholics will do so and still end up failing, but the fellowship that you get from others in recovery is still very powerful and should not be overlooked. If you really want to make it over the long haul in recovery then you should seek help through networking with others and gain strength from those who are on a similar path as you are. Whether or not you believe in the 12 step program is irrelevant because anyone can benefit from the peer support you can get from that fellowship.
So this process of making friends in recovery is crucial for new people in early recovery but as you go further along then a change needs to happen. The reason for this is because what got you clean and sober will not keep you clean and sober. The tactics you use for early recovery can only carry you so far and eventually you will need to make the shift towards personal growth. If you do this then you will be rewarded with an awesome life in recovery with both passion and purpose, regardless of whether you still go to meetings or not.
