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Recovery Time
The End of Addiction
One
of
the
questions
that
people
considering
giving
up
an
addiction
will
have
is
how
long
it
will
take
them
to
recover?
This
is
a
reasonable
question
but
providing
an
exact
answer
to
it
will
be
difficult.
First
of
all
it
would
need
to
be
determined
what
they
meant
by
recover.
There
is
no
doubt
that
the
life
of
the
individual
can
improve
as
soon
as
they
give
up
alcohol
or
drugs,
but
it
can
take
a
bit
longer
for
them
to
build
the
type
of
life
they
desire.
After
all,
the
fall
into
addiction
will
not
have
happened
overnight
so
it
is
unreasonable
to
expect
the
recovery
to
happen
instantly.
By
ending
the
addiction
the
individual
will
have
taken
the
crucial
first
step
on
a
path
that
can
lead
them
to
true happiness.
What it Means to Recover from an Addiction
It is difficult to determine a time frame for addiction recovery because:
•
It
is
not
clear
what
is
meant
by
addiction
recovery.
If
people
mean
by
this
that
they
will
be
able
to
drink
or
use
drugs
normally
again
then
such
a
recovery
will
probably
never
be
possible
–
if
they
mean
just
no
longer
using
alcohol
or
drugs
then
they
will
have
recovered as soon as they stop this behavior.
•
It
is
often
said
that
addiction
is
a
process
and
not
an
event.
This
is
because
what
people
mean
by
the
word
recovery
tends
to
be
much more than just physical sobriety.
•
When
people
say
that
they
have
recovered
from
an
addiction
it
does
not
mean
that
they
are
completely
cured.
This
is
because
if
they
relapse
they
will
be
right
back
where
they
started
–
this
is
why
some
people
prefer
to
use
the
term
recovering
rather
than
recovered.
•
Even people who have been sober for decades can still relapse back to substance abuse.
Recovered or Recovering from Addiction
The
subject
of
whether
people
are
recovered
or
recovering
from
an
addiction
can
be
the
cause
of
a
good
deal
of
debate
within
the
recovery
community.
Those
who
follow
the
12
Step
approach
view
addiction
as
an
incurable
disease
where
only
a
remission
is
possible
for
the
individual
–
this
is
why
they
prefer
to
use
the
word
recovering.
Groups
such
as
Rational
Recovery
would
argue
that
by
giving
up
the
behavior
the
individual
will
have
already
recovered
from
it.
They
would
even
go
on
to
say
that
by
holding
onto
the
label
of
recoveringthe
individual
may
be
making
things
harder
for
themselves
and
increasing
their
own
risk
of
relapse.
Others
might
argue
that
how
the
person
refers
to
themselves
is
not
that
important
so
long
as
they
do
what
needs
to
be
done
to
keep
their
sobriety
on
track
–
at
the
end
of
the
day
these
labels
are
just
words.
It
is
therefore
up
to
each
individual
to
decide
if
they
wish
to
consider
themselves
recovering
or
recovered.
The
main thing is that they accept that no matter which label they use they will not be able to drink alcohol or use drugs again.
Recovery is a Process Not an Event
It
is
often
stated
that
recovery
is
a
process
and
not
an
event.
The
idea
here
is
to
emphasize
the
fact
that
giving
up
alcohol
or
drugs
is
only
the
start
of
the
journey
towards
a
successful
life.
It
is
the
vital
first
step
but
there
will
be
plenty
more
work
ahead.
The
type
of
challenges
that people will face after they become sober include:
•
Rebuilding
relationships
that
have
been
harmed
because
of
the
substance
abuse.
It
can
take
many
years
to
get
back
the
trust
and
respect that have been lost because of the downward spiral into addiction.
•
One
of
the
early
challenges
that
many
people
face
in
recovery
is
the
transition
from
rehab
to
home.
This
can
be
when
people
are
most vulnerable to relapse so they need to prepare for a smooth transition with appropriate aftercare.
•
When
people
are
addicted
to
drinking
alcohol
or
using
drugs
their
life
will
revolve
around
these
substances.
This
means
that
when
they
become
sober
they
will
need
to
find
a
new
meaning
and
purpose
–
this
is
vital
because
a
life
that
lacks
these
qualities
will
be
unsatisfying.
•
One
of
the
most
usual
reasons
for
why
people
fall
into
addiction
in
the
first
place
is
because
they
feel
unable
to
cope
with
life.
This
means that in recovery they will need to develop new more effective coping strategies.
•
Boredom
is
a
common
relapse
trigger
for
people
in
recovery
so
the
individual
will
need
to
find
ways
of
avoiding
this.
In
order
to
do
this the person will need to find new activities they enjoy with which they can spend their free time.
•
Walking
away
from
substance
abuse
usually
means
leaving
behind
drinking
or
drug
using
friends.
This
means
that
the
individual
will need to build a new social network in recovery.
•
It
is
likely
that
the
individual
will
have
to
face
old
challenges
–
things
that
they
have
tried
to
avoid
dealing
with
by
turning
to
alcohol
or
drugs.
The
person
usually
finds
that
dealing
with
these
things
is
nowhere
near
as
difficult
as
they
once
thought,
and
the
rewards
of doing so are high.
•
Sobriety
is
also
sure
to
mean
facing
new
challenges.
It
is
helpful
to
view
these
as
opportunities
to
grow
rather
than
as
obstacles
in
the path.
•
Dealing
with
character
flaws
is
the
work
of
a
lifetime,
but
it
is
important
that
people
begin
work
on
overcoming
these
because
it
will
be these flaws that drove them into addiction in the first place.
•
People
who
have
been
addicted
to
alcohol
or
drugs
will
often
have
harmed
their
careers.
It
can
take
time
and
effort
to
undo
this
damage so that they can rebuild their career.
Completing Rehab Is Just the Beginning
When
people
complete
a
rehab
program
it
can
feel
as
if
they
have
graduated.
While
these
people
do
deserve
to
feel
proud
it
is
vital
that
they
keep
things
in
proportion.
The
purpose
of
these
inpatient
treatment
programs
is
not
to
cure
addiction
–
the
aim
is
to
give
the
individual
a
firm
foundation
on
which
to
build
their
future
sober
life.
If
they
leave
rehab
and
fail
to
do
additional
work
they
are
unlikely
to
find success and will be at risk of relapse. This is why it can be better to consider the final day in rehab as just the beginning.
Time It Takes to Recovery and the Stages of Recovery
To
give
people
a
better
idea
of
the
time
it
takes
to
recover
from
an
addiction
it
can
be
helpful
to
break
the
process
down
into
stages.
These phases of recovery include:
•
The individual acknowledges that they have a problem.
•
They become willing to change.
•
The individual will take action to end their addiction such as entering rehab.
•
Early recovery involves learning the skills needed to stay sober – much of this work can be done in rehab.
•
Abstinence
maintenance
means
taking
all
the
steps
necessary
to
stay
sober.
This
can
include
things
like
aftercare
and
building
a
support network.
•
After
about
two
years
the
individual
will
enter
advanced
recovery.
By
now
they
will
be
used
to
living
a
good
life
away
from
alcohol
and drugs, and many of the things they need to do to remain sober will be done automatically.
•
Emotional
sobriety
comes
after
many
years
of
facing
challenges
and
overcoming
these.
When
the
individual
is
emotionally
sober
they rarely (if ever) have to deal with overwhelming emotions.
•
Some
people
would
say
that
the
final
stage
of
recovery
is
serenity.
This
refers
to
an
inner
calmness
and
happiness
that
the
individual
enjoys
no
matter
what
is
happening
in
their
life
–
it
was
the
search
for
this
feeling
of
inner
peace
that
drove
many
people
into substance abuse in the first place.
Faith Based Recovery Since 1998
Stepping Stones Ministry, Inc.