Below are some of the most common things that can cause someone to “mess up” their recovery. However this list isn’t exhaustive and time and experience will allow you to add more to your own list.
Tips:
- It is important that you put as much effort into your recovery as you did/do with your drinking or using.
- Ask for help when you need it, using and drinking isolates us and steals all of our time whilst we try to find the next drink or fix. Recovery is something that others can help you with when you admit that you are powerless over your addiction and that the only way forwards is abstinence from all substances (including alcohol).
- Be honest with others, we often only tell others part of the whole truth to manipulate situations to gain whatever it is we are after. Recovery requires us to be wholly and completely honest with others if we want to change and succeed in recovery.
- Recovery is a lifelong pursuit. If we think that we can treat it like a broken leg and stop actively pursuing recovery when we get past a set period of time being abstinent is the time when your addiction will bite and a relapse becomes possible and more likely the longer you go without doing recovery activities.
