Solidifying Your Foundation is everything in Recovery
When people descend into addiction, they often describe that time as a struggle because they had no foundation. This often means that they feel like they have nothing to live for, no foundation to build upon, and a deep loss of self-worth.
Essentially, a person feels like their life doesn’t matter anymore, and when they finally decide to begin the journey of recovery, they have to first start on solidifying their foundation. And like building any structure, the foundation is the first thing that they put down.
And in terms of foundation it means taking no shortcuts, and understanding that recovery is something that can’t be rushed. When undergoing professional treatment, the addict has to start tackling issues that have gone untreated for a considerable about of time.
Seeking Professional Help
One of the most important things an addict needs to do is to seek professional help. Addiction is a complex issue that has many different layers to it, emotional, psychological, and physical.
No matter how much someone wants to become sober, and thinks one can do it alone, for long-term sobriety professional help should be sought. Once the help of a professional has been sought, then a serious course of treatment can be planned that will serve as the foundation of recovery.
The addict will go through detox under expert supervision and begin treatment. This will be the first major step in building a foundation for recovery.
Establishing A Support System
During and after treatment, another major part of building a foundation for recovery is to establish a support system. This means reaching out to family members that may have become estranged or distant and including them in the recovery.
There are also support meetings and group counseling sessions that can be attended and connections formed. By entering a community of people who have gone through similar struggles this will help build a complete and well-rounded support system.
People struggling with addiction will feel buoyed and strengthened knowing that they aren’t alone in their journey. And even more so that their life has meaning and that there are many people who love and care for them.
Exploring Holistic Healing
Another thing that should be explored to build a solid foundation of recovery is holistic healing. This can be a very personal exploration for an individual, depending on the type of spirituality or activities that mean the most to them.
It can range from prayer to meditation, or painting to playing an instrument. Holistic healing is about finding balance and peace in life. These healing activities can also include yoga, hiking, knitting, basically anything that makes a person feel the calm within and become more centered.
Holistic healing can help a person lead a more balanced life and build a sense of self-worth and peace that had been lacking before.
Make A Long-term Plan
Over time, a long-term plan of recovery should eventually be sketched out. Although recovery is something that should be taken on a day-to-day basis, it should run parallel to a long-term plan that someone would like to achieve over time.
This will give someone an overarching goal and sense of purpose to keep them going long-term, while breaking things down into daily manageable steps. Whether it’s professional goals, or personal ones, through sobriety a person should start being able to want to pursue goals that may have seemed out of reach when being an addict.
Long-term sobriety will be made immeasurably easier to achieve if people take the time to solidify the foundation that they will build upon for the rest of their lives. They should also remember that it’s ok to mess up, and nothing will ever be completely perfect. They can begin to appreciate their own perfect imperfections.
photo credit: Patrik Walde (patrikwalde.com) via photopin cc