Releasing from addition, recovered drug users
Drug users don’t know the meaning and the concept of recovery and release from addiction disease and they imagine erroneously, words like recovery and withdrawal only mean stop using narcotic substances.
But if the recovery has been effective and successful, it should be included various aspects of an addict’s life.
In this part, the real concepts of recovery and support solutions are presented.
Four aspects of the recovery:
Principles of an effective recovery:
Addiction disease effects on all aspects of our lives. This disease unlike other chronic diseases harms not only our body but also our souls and other aspects of our spiritual lives. Describing the correct conception of the recovery isn’t so simple. But in 2010 drug services and mental health administration of United States presented a recovery description indicated persons’ experiences which were saved from addiction trap and behavioral addiction. This is the agreed concept:
Addiction recovery is a process making inner changes so that an addict gains health, welfare and comfort of his life and he tries to achieve all facilities and his potential capabilities.
Four aspects of the recovery
The full and effective recovery contains four important aspects of our lives, like:
1. Health: an addict must regain his health by overcoming the addiction disease and lives in the place and environment have necessary security and health physically and sentimentally.
2. Home: addiction withdrawal and the recovery mean to have a safe and secure place for living.
3. Aim and motivation: recovery and releasing from addiction mean reasonable and positive daily activities like working, going to school or college, doing voluntarily activities, attending to family, financial independence, social participation and etc.
4. Society: recovery from addiction means having safe relationship and participation in groups and different levels of society, in order to benefit their support, friendship and kindness.
Principles of an effective recovery
The principles lead us to the real and effective recovery including:
1. Acceptance: we begin our movement toward hopefully recovery and by acceptance this issue which 12 steps are our solutions and by using these tools we can recover daily. In many cases, we can achieve recovery and addiction releasing by 12 step clubs and observe other peoples which are recovering with this method. We conclude that we are ill and are going to take necessary measures. This small step gives us necessary courage and determination for doing 12 steps according to the recovering addicted experiences. At last we would decide to consider all the aspects of our lives, and regain our safe and normal life under our efforts. Acceptance of addiction disease and hoping to find a solution for recovery is in fact code and success key toward recovery.
2. Our responsibility: life managing is the fundamental principle of recovery. As soon as someone accepts suffering from a chronic illness and undertaking his recovery responsibility, indeed he has found his correct way for reaching final aim. Decision about role playing in cooperation with institutions and individuals help in the recovery way enlivens feeling the power and determination. Thus he can take his own life and control and manage it.
3. Clubs support: the support of 12 step clubs play a valuable and vital role for addiction withdrawal and recovery. By participating in the sessions, the drug users encourage and help and support each other by sharing their experiences. This aspect of unknown clubs sessions plays an effective and vital role for recovering of their members. We need others help to release from addiction trap which its power is beyond the power of each of us. Studies and surveys indicate the addicts use these advantages by participating in the sessions of 12 step clubs, i.e.: performance improvement, social activities improvement, better financial and family situation, improvement of mental situation. Acting according to 12 step program and having the club support enable us to have an active spiritual life, self-confidence and independence more. Another of factors helps us in recovery process is participation and cooperation with those believe in abilities to recover. In addition to other recovering addicts who are in the old clubs, the others can play an important role in our recovery like family members, social workers, clubs, religious and ideological groups and individuals. Trough such a relationship we feel comfort, empowerment and authority.
4. Recovery process: each of us has his own needs, abilities, aims, culture and special past which are effective on our withdrawal and recovery. Unlike other diseases, addiction can’t be treated with drugs a doctor prescribes for his patients. Addiction has infected us with different forms and it has affected various aspects of our lives. For this reason if we want to have a successful recovery, various aspects of our lives should be taken into consideration and settled. For example, addiction causes some people to be drawn into crime and to be involved legal problems or financial, mental problems. Attention to these problems must be a part of our recovery process to ensure using narcotic substances wouldn’t be resumed, because usually the addicts reuse narcotic substances for compromising with problems. Fortunately 12 step program helps us overcome addiction and obtain necessary tools for coping with life problems. Addiction withdrawal and recovery aren’t a linear and fixed process which has a special start and end point to be finished by a full recovery. This means we are never recovered from addiction thoroughly, but we can stop it daily by using 12-step program like other chronic illnesses. Most of addicts face ups and downs in recovery process and it is possible they are misled and decide to withdraw again. And these mistakes give new and informative notes. Reusing of narcotic substances isn’t counted defeat and it doesn’t mean we are incurable and can’t be healed. Basis of our recovery is too simple: withdrawal and friends club can support us in this way.
5. All the aspects of life: when the recovery is real and effective, it includes all the aspects of our lives and means all the aspects of comfort and welfare would be taken into account. In 12-step program it is said to the addicts participated in the recovery sessions that the drug addiction is the only one of our disease symptoms. This is important that the withdrawing addict feels and observes recovery signs in the other aspects of his life. At last during rehabilitation, all the aspects of his life that the addiction has brought them to ruin would be considered. In the other words, we reach a point what we lost as a result of addiction, would recapture gradually i.e.: family relationship, employment, education, health, spirituality, creativity, friend network, participation in social activities and all elements that represent a healthy and normal life.
6. Specialists help: in an effective recovery, those problems of life which are addiction factors would be considered. Factors like mental problems, psychological trauma and depression. Experience of unpleasant psychological traumas like physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, war and other disasters are factors lead a person to use alcohol and narcotic, which these factors harm his mental health. It should be noted every problem or disease we are involved must be examined separately and we use reasonable help to treat them.
It is possible some of us need to be helped by professional and experts for detoxification or another treat of physical and mental illnesses. It should be noted 12-step program has limitations and it can not be counted as medical or psychiatric treatment. For example if you suffer from blood sugar problems or diabetes, this program can’t help but its principles help you to cope with the disease and bear it. For treating diabetes you must call on a relevant specialist. Following these tips and issues are vital and at last we are responsible concerning self care. In the sessions of 12 step clubs, persons are usually asked: Are you ready to do whatever is necessary for your mental health recovery? For example, are you ready to call on a psychiatrist and medical specialists for your discomfort and other diseases save addiction?
References:
1. Addiction offence book
2. Addicted family book
3. 12 step recovery book
4. Journal of associations support of addicts
5. Drug memoir book
6. Leader-seeker book
Dr. Homayoun Qesmati
Social worker