THOUGHT FOR TODAY 9-25-09

For anyone who has entered into addiction recovery, one thing becomes clear...support is needed in order for you to be successful in your addiction recovery

"You alone can do it, but you cannot do it alone" - O. Hobart Mowrer

But what makes support such an important component to a successful recovery? And what is the meaning of support when it's pertaining to addiction recovery?

It's my understanding that when you are speaking about support in recovery you are really talking about a kind of give and take of honesty. A kind of honesty that others in recovery can identify with. It is this ability to identify with others and have others identify with us that is the true definition of support.

The only thing that makes this type of honesty possible is a little something I like to call...HUMILITY. Humility is basically the acceptance of being human. What better way is there to accept being human than to be able to listen to someone else talk about a situation that they are experiencing that is very similar to our own?

When you hear/read the trials and tribulations that another is experiencing with their humanness and it strikes a familiar chord with you, you're able to say...ok, I'm not alone on this one, I'm not weird, I'm human. That thought process is the very reason why support is so important in addiction recovery.

Support is not so much about getting answers from others. I mean, who really knows anything right? We're all here on earth for the first time trying to make our way through life. Support is more about realizing that we are not alone in having imperfections. It's also about realizing that our imperfections do not make us bad people. Our imperfections make us human.

Now, when I talk about support I don't mean that everyone needs to attend support meetings or twelve step programs, although that is helpful for a lot of people. Support can be found in numerous ways. The key is to find what works for you. I find that I need to feel accountable to whatever support system I'm involved with. Everyone needs accountability in recovery addiction, EVERYONE.

At this point in my life, I find that writing about my struggles here in the forum, speaking with others who are in the same situation as I am, being faithful to my MMT treatment and sharing my daily struggles with my spouse (my main source of support) is what helps me. You have to find something that helps you (whether it's an actual recovery group, 12 step program or taking from NA what you want and leaving the rest......you have to find something!) and stay true to it.

portions of this were taken from "What Winners Do"