When it comes to being in recovery, you will hear many different people say sober. Others might say they are in recovery or recovered, all while still calling themselves addicts or alcoholics. Understanding addiction and recovery are confusing initially, and the definitions depend on whom you speak to. But it’s all a personal decision.
A Return To Or A Discovery Of A Healthy State Of Mind
When the majority think of recovery, they think it is “normal” again, getting back to a normal state of mind, health, or strength. This would mean getting back to “normal” from addiction, from the use of substances or other addictions we had. But that can be misleading because what if we weren’t at a healthy “normal” state of mind to begin with; especially if we started using at an early age?
Instead of getting back to a healthy state of mind, we might be discovering ourselves for the very first time. Whether we’re talking about a return or a discovery, the point is that we’re living without using substances to cope with life. Recovery from addiction is, in essence, learning how to live life without using substances as our coping mechanism to life.
Your Path To Recover From Addiction
One of the things that may stress newcomers out is they think they have to rush through recovery and reach a deadline to be doing well. Recovery doesn’t have a timeline, no finish line, you are in recovery once you stop using and it is an ongoing process; for those with one week of sobriety to those who have multiple years. Recovery is ongoing and lasts as long as you are living.
The only price of admission is not using drugs or alcohol. Whether you refer to yourself as sober, in recovery, or recovered is not so important as you’re doing the work you need to do to stay clean. No one can tell you what to call yourself or how to define your recovery. It is your choice. This is your path, your recovery.
While this is your recovery, your journey, it still can get hard and confusing. There is no “check-up” like at a doctor’s office to see if you are doing well in your recovery. There is no report card that you get when you are done with a treatment facility. While there are steps you take to improve your knowledge or skills as to how to go about life when it shows up.
More About Your Path To Recovery From Addiction
Only you can know if you are taking the right steps and improving. Recovering is done on the inside. The proof will be in your quality of life, your achievements, and your emotional and physical well-being. The results will not show up in your urine or your blood. Instead, the results will show up in you and your life.
Another interesting part of being in recovery is that it can be called so many different things. There are so many different ways to describe your recovery from drugs and alcohol. Here are just a few examples of how you might describe yourself:
- I’m in recovery
- I’m an addict in recovery
- I’m clean and sober
- I’m a recovered addict
- I’m a recovering addict.
The beauty is that all of those statements add up to the same thing as long as you’re not using and you get to choose. It is a part of owning your recovery.
Start Your Recovery Ar Aria Fl Today
The Addiction Recovery Institute of America is among the foremost drug and alcohol treatment facilities in South Florida. At ARIA, our team of addiction specialists uses a combination of clinical, evidence-based treatment approaches and holistic approaches to healing the whole person.
In addition to offering the full spectrum of treatment options from medically supervised detox through outpatient treatment and aftercare. And as a result of this broad range of offerings, we pride ourselves on tailoring each program to the client’s individual needs.
We are also proud to offer programs specific to brave first responders who are battling addiction issues. In addition, we are happy to say that most of our outpatient and aftercare programs are available via our extensive telehealth platform. So if, if you or a loved one is battling a substance use problem, it is time you learned more about the Addiction Recovery Institute of America.