Recovering from addiction isn’t easy, but it is possible, and it does happen – even after multiple relapses; individuals can and do find and maintain sobriety. To do so they need a facility that understands relapse and can help both the individual and the family understand relapse too.
I attended Gulf Breeze Recovery in 2016 after over a decade of failed attempts to get clean at 12-step drug treatment centers. I was an IV drug user, and I thought that if anyone truly understood how powerful my cravings were, then surely they would see why it was impossible for me to stay sober. That’s why one of the most valuable insights I gained during my time in Gulf Breeze was my relationship to cravings.
It was after one of those parties, in fact, where Ben hit what he calls his rock bottom. He apparently “made an ass of himself”, although he doesn’t remember it. After the party, he went home and fell down the stairs. He was pretty beat up, bloody, sore, bruised and lucky to have survived the fall.
Mary was a fun-loving girl. In college, she started drinking and experimenting with drugs, and it was part of the college adventure. She believed that she was in control and that everything was okay – until it wasn’t. “You are a functioning member of society,” she explains, “until one day you’re not!”
I learned we’re born with this innate happiness and joy and our natural state is to feel peaceful, just be being happy and content with right now. So I thought if this is how we’re born then it only gets covered up by these blocks in our thinking and with what we’re taught when we’re growing up. Once you take that away, you can find yourself, and it’s pretty amazing.
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PAWS can feel like a rollercoaster of emotions and symptoms. Being aware that these symptoms may occur can help to be prepared for them. Knowing that they usually don’t last for more than a day or two makes them bearable and less frightening.
There’s hope and a solution! Non-12 Step Recovery is a holistic alternative to the traditional 12 steps of AA Although for many years, AA was believed to be the gold …
Relapse after substance abuse treatment is common. Unfortunately, some people go to multiple programs investing both time and resources in their quest for sobriety. So often, sobriety, when it is achieved, doesn’t last.