Recovery From Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Recovery from drug addiction and alcohol addiction is stressful in the best of circumstances.

The addict/alcoholic wishes that they could fast forward time and have all the past negative history behind them, overnight in fact would be preferable.

One important thing for the recovering addict to remember is that their concept of time is a bit warped.

Take for instance their using.

If you ask an addict or alcoholic if they are currently using because their behavior indicates that may be the case, they will often state Oh I havent used in a long time! If pushed to elaborate what constitutes a long time it may often be a day or two at most.

To the addict that IS a long time.

To those around him or her it is an extremely short amount of time and they are still holding their breath waiting for the other shoe to drop.

In early recovery each day may deem to drag on uncomfortably.

On top of that, a whole new way of living is being learned a minute, an hour and a day at a time.

When recovery is the goal it is important to gain acceptance of the truth that time takes time.

Just because the recovering alcoholic and addict would like it to be less and for their journey on the road to recovery to be further along does not change the physical aspect of time.

That is why One Day at a Time is such an important slogan in twelve step recovery.

Almost every recovering addict and alcoholic is coming from a place of instant gratification.

That takes practice and it takes TIME.

Having a plan for each day can keep someone new to recovery occupied throughout the crucial first weeks and months of recovery.

The phone is invaluable as no one understands this somewhat warped perspective of time better than another recovering person.

Sharing the frustrations with how slow time may seem to be passing can be helpful.

Gaining insight as to how others have survived it may be life-saving.

It is as important to remember that many people want the addict or alcoholic to succeed.

They often have a truer sense of how much time has really passed.

As the days and then weeks and then months pass by without the ensuing chaos brought about by the addict, these folks will begin to relax.

The addict and alcoholic will begin to relax as well as they have put a significant amount of time between themselves and their last episode of using.

Recovery from drug addiction and alcohol is not easy but it will help to keep a true perspective of the value of time.

Maureen Staiano is a Life Coach specializing in working with women and the unique challenges, opportunities and transitions we face in our lives.

Read full article "Recovery From Drug and Alcohol Addiction"