In the current thinking of most people seeking to relieve themselves from the bondage of addiction, a common piece of conventional wisdom is that it is necessary for the person to get used to the idea of being “in recovery” for the rest of their lives.
The definition of being in recovery is not written in stone anywhere but generally includes working the steps repeatedly forever, going to meetings for the rest of your life, and providing service to the fellowship or the group in general. They call that “working your program.” I have personally heard many people through the years lament that someone quit going to meetings and were now at risk of relapse.
Going to meetings forever is often discussed as the only way to stay sober, but are lifelong meetings actually a part of the AA program? Their website says it is up to the individual but immediately states that it is a good idea to attend meetings weekly to daily long-term, implying they are needed forever if the person wishes to stay sober.
This ignores the fact that approximately 70% of the people who walk away from drugs or alcohol do so without rehab, counseling, or any group meetings. These people are hard to study because they often don’t interact with medical personnel about their abstinence. So too, are the folks that go to AA for a year or two and then move on with their lives without a relapse.
The Dunamis Initiative defines recovery as maintaining abstinence while actively pursuing personal improvement in the areas of mind, body, and spirit, and at the same time improving their ability to function as a citizen. Interestingly enough, even the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says ZERO about going to meetings forever.
In fact, it says that the person seeking to be well has “a daily reprieve dependent upon the maintenance of their spiritual condition.” If the person develops a life of integrity, prays daily for God’s will to be done, and serves others (Steps 10, 11, and 12), they have a good chance at staying sober for the day. Don’t get me wrong, the struggle is real – especially in the first couple of years. Nevertheless, there comes a time when a person should be allowed to switch from saying “in recovery” to “recovered” if they so desire.
The initials PTSD seem to be everywhere in our culture. Trauma is common, and for centuries, people suffered in silence, with many developing addiction or other mental conditions. We now know that trauma is real, and it is important to address it, but it doesn’t have to be the final word of the story. When addressed intentionally, trauma can switch from a stress disorder to a growth opportunity and is called Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). This was first fully described in the literature by Tedeschi and Calhoun in 1996 and has bloomed into widespread understanding in the mental health community as a robust off-ramp from the torment of PTSD. In that article, they described New Possibilities, Relating to Others, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Appreciation of Life as the five domains of possible PTG. Some people experience all five, while others grow in a couple of the domains. Over the next few weeks, this blog will address these domains and how they might offer a strong transformation from simply surviving in recovery to flourishing as a child of God in the body of Christ.
Staying in recovery forever? Since post-traumatic growth is an option, I think I’ll pass—thank you very much.
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