Active addiction does not have to last forever. Instead, think of substance addiction treatment and recovery as a bridge. Similar to bridges that need maintenance throughout the years, you require upkeep and the ability to repair yourself. In order to achieve lasting recovery, you must learn that bridges break down, relapse occurs, and life begins again.
The idea of sobriety being a transient object, vulnerable to the environment, is based on the theory that life takes work, and at some point, you may fail. Despite attending 12-Step meetings, engaging in therapy, or participating in a sober community, you will likely face temptations that challenge your sobriety. Life has a way of presenting obstacles and shaking up your routine. Maintaining your recovery is a journey complete with twists and unforeseen circumstances.
The Bridge
Think of your sobriety as a journey. The moment you decide to quit drinking alcohol or using substances, you step onto a bridge. Dangerous obstacles in your path require the support of the bridge in order to get to the other side. Medically supervised detoxification (detox) treatment programs are the bridges. Detox programs provide comfort and time for your body to withdraw from toxins in alcohol and drugs.
Detox as a Foundation
The care team at a detox treatment center guides you to build the foundation of your recovery. While you are detoxing, you are laying the initial elements of the bridge that make the foundation solid. The purpose is to take the weight and stress off of the bridge and spread it evenly, creating a stable foundation. The detox process is the material necessary to protect the bridge from falling.
Additional support is provided to you while in detox. For example, many centers serve healthy, nutrition-packed food and transition you to an appropriate level of care in a substance addiction treatment program.
Substance Addiction Treatment
Detox is the foundation of recovery, and substance addiction treatment is the substructure. Individual and group therapy function as walls for your recovery. Therapy sessions help build and retain the information required to reinforce and withstand stress, depression, or your environment.
As with any substructure, substance addiction therapy also provides multiple forms of sustenance. Holistic treatments like art, yoga, breathwork, and exercise therapy provide additional support and alternative coping methods. For example, think about how breathwork pulls you back to focusing on your feelings while encouraging you to diffuse your destructive emotions.
Substance addiction therapy is essential because it is another layer that supports your recovery. Whether you employ the lessons you learned in treatment or make holistic therapy a part of a daily routine, you are diffusing and decreasing harmful situations.
Therapy Is Maintenance
Bridges rely on their foundation to maintain their structural integrity. Since you also depend on your foundation to maintain your sobriety, you will need upkeep. Return to therapy when you need to fill in a hole or crack in your life. Patching up emotional deficits builds resilience.
Therapy extends over your foundation, protecting you from harsh elements in life. Your life is the direct traffic on the bridge. Whether you participate in group or individual therapy, you incorporate everything you learned while in treatment together. Everything you learn supports your ability to go over the bridge. At times, holistic or traditional therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are the barriers that protect you from going over the sides.
Repairing Your Recovery
Bridges will have potholes, cracks, and sometimes structural failures. Your life will have potholes, cracks, and there is potential for relapse. You hold the information and coping techniques learned in substance addiction treatment to help lead you over the ravine, but you cannot always protect yourself from the environment. At the same time, you can use yoga, meditation, art, or exercise as healthy techniques that give you flexibility and strength.
Situations beyond your control can crack even the most robust foundation. The death of a loved one, loss of a job, or a blow to your self-esteem can create a pothole or complete failure of your bridge. Even the Golden Gate Bridge fell once, but people still go year-round for photography. The Golden Gate Bridge was rebuilt, and you can rebuild yours too; but first, you need to admit you relapsed and construct a plan to rebuild.
Rebuilding Your Sobriety
Starting over again does not equate to failure. In some cases, rebuilding your sobriety means you can create a foundation that can withstand destructive forces. Go back to detox and follow through with a substance addiction treatment program.
Think of sobriety and recovery as a bridge. You can't have a strong bridge if you don't take the time to build the foundation (detox), the substructure, and the structure (substance addiction treatment). All these components guide you to understand your emotional needs. By addressing this, you find out how to replace and refill the dangers in your environment. The support you find in individual, group, or holistic therapies will carry you over to difficult situations. Monte Cristo Recovery is dedicated to guiding you through the detox process, creating a strong foundation for your journey to recovery. We recognize the care you receive is critical to your well-being. Our staff furthers your recovery process with a smooth road to sobriety. Monte Cristo Recovery works with substance addiction treatment centers in Orange County, California, to ensure you don't fall into the cracks. If your foundation falters, we're here to help you rebuild. For more information, call (714) 824-9896.