Recovery
When you think of that word, how does it make you feel? We talk a lot about being ‘IN’ recovery. Try
this; try thinking of Recovery as a place.
What an interesting place to be. Not a fun place. Not always a nice place. Not a place that I ever thought
I’d find myself. It’s a place that requires work. It requires change. It requires growth. These are hard
things to do. They are hard for anyone. They are harder for an addict who has spent a life perfecting an
addictive lifestyle. When I first found myself in Recovery, being there was uncomfortable. It was a place
to get out of. A place that caused anxiety and panic. I felt like I was in a trapped in a box.
Then, little by little, it started to change, to get easier to be in Recovery. I didn’t wake up in a sweat
every day, worried that what I did yesterday would be discovered. The memories faded. (But they are
still there). The dreams became less frequent. The temptation, at first virtually unbearable, became less
and less. (Also still there)
It’s not that being in Recovery is such a great place. I hope that I will always be in Recovery.
Because it’s such a better place than where I was.
D. Ross
