By Joseph B. Harris (Author’s note: When I use the term drug, I’m referring to any type of drug, whether it’s alcohol, tobacco, opioids, meth, cocaine or any harmful addictive substance.)
RET. SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR
The holiday season is upon us, which means there will be a lot of attention placed on celebration. My primary focus in this article is people who have a history of drug and/or alcohol addiction and are now in recovery.
The first thing the recovering person must understand is using an intoxicant is not an option under ANY circumstances or situations. One of my favorite questions to ask my patients was, “What is the worst thing that could happen if you had a super craving for a drug and you did not get high?” If they took too long to answer, I would ask, “Would you have a heart attack, a stroke, a seizure, or would anything harmful happen to you?” The answer was always, “No. Nothing harmful would happen.”
So, we need to understand that craving cannot hurt you unless you submit to it. The good thing about being in recovery is that we never have to submit to craving, because if we do not, we are not going into withdrawal. We know that during the holidays, we will probably experience craving at one time, especially if we are in early recovery. Craving may be generated during these times due to being separated from loved ones−mother, father, children, sister, brother, or others close to us. Try to remember, craving is a feeling. Part of feeling means thought and perception; it does not mean behavior. While in recovery, with our sober mind, when craving attacks, we can assess the thoughts and feelings, followed by thinking and behavior that allows us to take ourselves away from the drug, as opposed to going into relapse.
In recovery, we must keep our focus on protection and prevention. So, the question is, “What can I do to help me shield myself from relapse? How can I escape this deadly danger of relapse?”
One of the things I am going to do is prepare my mind with a focus on being loyal to myself, knowing that I have a strong sense of duty and responsibility to protect myself from relapse by any means necessary. Drug addiction trains the mind to think with obedience to craving. When we practice thinking related to faithfulness to self, we are in the process of retraining the mind to respond to recovery thinking.
Understand that the seat or core of addiction is in the mind, so we must prepare our mind for our war against drug addiction. The human sober mind, which is a thousand times more powerful than any drug addiction, can be victorious over every battle with craving until it no longer exists in the mind. That is how some recovering people remain sober for five, ten, 20, 30, 40, 50 years or more.
Relapse always results in some form of suffering, as well as causing damage mentally, physically, and spiritually. Drug-addicted people are pleasure seekers, not suffering seekers. We must understand the truth in any relapse thought. This deadly thought is a threat, an attempt to hurt, maim or destroy you. It is a poisonous thought, an enemy, that enters the sober mind in an attempt to lead you back under its power and take you away from your healthy direction that means so much to you, your future, as well as your loved ones. There is no possible benefit in relapse for the recovering person, whose primary job is to get healthier and stronger every day.
Good health is worth more than any amount of money. Drug addiction breaks all the laws of good health due to its poisonous nature, causing numerous illnesses, where many are life-threatening, and kill many good people.
Part of protecting myself in recovery means to know that I, and only I, have the authority over myself under any mental or emotional condition or situation. Understand that once your body and mind have been cleansed from drugs, the addiction no longer has control over you. No matter how you feel, you can always make the healthy decision to maintain your sobriety. This is where the willingness to persevere in your recovery efforts is extremely important. Part of perseverance means that you will continue working on maintaining sobriety during times of difficulty, counter influences, opposition or discouragement. When you experience any form of discomfort that generates relapse thought, your focus on perseverance can help you to avoid relapse.
The Latin meaning for addiction means giving over. When we become addicted to drugs, we unwillingly give our life to addiction. None of us planned on becoming addicted. The drugs tricked our minds. Part of recovery means to get back something lost, stolen, or taken. In recovery, we are going to take our life back by confronting any challenge the addiction may present to us. Challenges and obstacles are lessons and each time we work ourselves through one, it will make us stronger, wiser, and more confident in our ability to continue working to stay sober. Do not be afraid of challenges. With the power of the sober mind, you can confront and get through any of them.
You will also have help: AA, NA, counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, sober family, sober friends, and sober neighbors can all be a part of your sober network. Keep in mind that 99 percent of recovering people who relapse do not reach out for help when craving attacks.
Recovery is a process. Part of process means step by step. It also means many changes. This takes me right to the present holiday season, where changes and emotions are going to interact. During these times of celebration, it is very important for us to know who we are and how we should see our life in the recovery process.
We should see our life as important, valuable, in need of healthy nurturing, one who deserves to live in freedom in his/her sober natural human being state, where he/she can continue to excel in life. If you play yourself cheap by believing that you are too weak, or not worthy enough to put effort into taking your life back from drugs, you will continue to abuse your body and mind with intoxicants until death.
Joseph B. Harris lives in Spring Hill and is a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor with 48 years’ experience. He is also the author of three books. Go to his website: masteraddictionrecoverycounselor.com where you can purchase his books and view his videos dealing with overcoming addiction to all drugs, including alcohol and tobacco.
