Mental Illness and Addiction Can Impact Anyone
Recovery Month is a national observance intended to create awareness around mental health and substance abuse disorders, treatment services, and the idea that recovery can lead to a full, healthy, rewarding life. Millions of Americans have reclaimed their life through recovery. Although recovery takes many different forms, it’s important to think of it as a lifelong process of improving your health and well-being. Successful recovery is about change. Certainly, you may have to change your behavior and your outlook. You may even need to change your environment to be successful.
What Is Recovery?
Although most people understand recovery to be a life free of drugs, there is so much more to recovery than just drug and alcohol treatment. When you’re in recovery, it is self-directed. You choose what recovery looks like to you. You should feel empowered by taking back your life. Recover begins with hope and recognizing that change is needed in your life.
Recovery helps you transcend the shame that you feel for living with addiction or mental health. In recovery, you become part of society again. You will need help from others, but you will also learn to help others. Recovery gives you a purpose in life. It is a complex process that doesn’t just treat your addiction or mental illness, but requires you to look at your entire well-being.
Four elements that support recovery
- Health – Make decisions which support your physical, mental and spiritual health. Eat well. Exercise. Practice self-care. Find peace in your faith. Attend support meetings for encouragement and support as you live in recovery.
- Purpose – Give back to the community and to others. Have goals that motivate you to do better. Take care of your family. Find a job you love. Volunteer for a cause you feel close to.
- Community – Create relationships that are meaningful. Reach out to your friends who will support you out of respect and love, not because they’re interested in drugs.
- Home – When your home is safe, stable and stress-free, it encourages you to stay in recovery.
Steps to Take Toward Recovery
- Recognize that addiction exists and that you need change.
- Recognize that recovery is possible.
- Learn more about your addiction.
- Prepare for treatment by finding the best option for you, asking for support from family and friends and talking about treatment with health professionals.
- Seeking out treatment. You have many different options, from outpatient to inpatient. There are many resources to help you find affordable drugs and alcohol recovery programs.
- Approach recovery with hope and purpose. Know that you can recover, but it won’t happen overnight.
- Develop a plan to continue in recovery after treatment. The treatment program can help you set goals and objectives for when you leave treatment.
- When you leave treatment, continue making positive changes in your life.
Living in Recovery
If you’re ready to make a chance, know that you live without addiction. Ask for help in finding quality addiction care that works for you. Take the first steps today toward having a better life.
