Everyone in our field is constantly searching for the next great thing: the easy cure, the quick fix, new treatments, holistic methods, vitamins, and therapies—all of which are fine. But, it's also necessary to keep moving forward with a simple routine as we learn more. What some appear to be lacking is the essence of what recovery used to be, the fundamentals.
The ABCs of Recovery come into play in this situation. The fundamental ABC’s of recovery clarify life amidst its noise.
A – Acceptance: The first step is acceptance. You are being honest with yourself when you admit and embrace who you actually are. The aim is to stay sober and clean while living a happy and productive life. But you won't be able to do that until you can be honest with yourself. Accepting an unpleasant circumstance without attempting to change or dispute it is the same as accepting it for what it is.
B – Bravery: Recovery takes time. To alter your life and achieve a greater purpose, see the map, not just the town you’re standing in today. Taking the first step toward recovery and absolute control of your life takes guts. Bravery is required to venture beyond one's comfort zone, to look beyond this “town,” Fear cannot win when you pause to see the big picture. Similarly, if you choose to let things come together little by little, patience increases and you may increasingly value the little things. New routines take courage because you are a creature of your patterns and comforts.
C – Change: If there's one thing recovery welcomes, it is change. Transition and the unknown will be frightening at first, especially when you are forced to face the world without self-medicating or isolating. However, as you progress towards new small goals each day or hour, you will discover that you can live a happy and fulfilling life without relying on feelings or circumstances.. Without change, you will remain the person that you were in the grips of mental illness or addiction.
D – Determination: Your capacity to get max benefits from recovery is defined by your determination. Prioritizing your sobriety and mental wellness is crucial to avoiding a relapse in the long run. Staying optimistic, focused, and persistent means making decisions based on sound reasoning, self-assurance, and the best version of yourself. Because of how powerful past habits and choices are, imagining one move you will make in the next hour will build an incredible amount of determination when you make that move two or three times.
E – Edify: Recovery is critical in order to rebuild oneself with the help of a higher power. Spirituality can assist a person in taking a deeper look within themselves and identifying the underlying reasons for their addiction so that they can begin to heal. The desire to be sober originates from the inside, but a higher power is frequently a center of control outside of oneself that causes a person to consider how to let go and let someone else take charge. For different people, spirituality takes many forms, but when allowed to take root, it provides a sense of hope and purpose.
F – Forgiveness: Forgiveness is the process of acknowledging and letting go of anger directed at someone who has caused you pain. Anger can lead to feelings of guilt and resentment, which can cause emotional pain. As a result, one of the most important aspects of long-term therapy and sobriety is the capacity to let go of the grief from your past. Choosing to hold on to grudges can lead to relapse. Therefore, forgiveness may be the key to healing and boosting recovery. It is not so much for them as it is for you when you learn to properly forgive people, and it can lead you down the path of compassion.
G – Growth: Because change is a constant throughout recovery, it will almost certainly result in growth. Others will most likely see your progress before you do, but you will realize it eventually since rehabilitation requires development. Struggles will inevitably arise as you continue in new routines. And how you overcome these obstacles will determine your growth toward being the person you've always wanted to be.
H – Hope: Challenges, difficulties, frustration, and hurdles may all be part of the recovery process. Having recovery objectives is a good start, but it isn't always enough. Indeed, you require something to keep you focused on your objectives, and that "something" is hope. Hope isn't simply wishful thinking; it's the confidence that you desire to improve your life in some way. You'll have a hard time finding significant action if you don't have hope and a drive to become well. Hope will guide you to the appropriate actions, and such actions will provide the foundation for your long-term quality of life.
I – Improvement: Abstinence is a step forward, but rehabilitation will make you a better person. Not only will recovery improve your mental health, but it will also improve the mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual areas of your life. Recovery is a lifelong process with setbacks, but the end objective is to overcome mental illness and/or addiction and live a healthy, productive life. As a result, success isn't determined by the cessation of substance abuse or the isolation and cynicism that comes with mental illness. Instead, it's measured by significant improvements in one or two areas of life (spiritual, environment, physical, emotional, social, mental, financial, academic or professional) at a time.
J – Journal: Journaling is a great way to process your thoughts and feelings. Writing out your observations, needs, ideas might give you a sense of liberation, feeling known and release. Recovery journaling is a valuable tool for promoting recovery. You have the freedom to express your pleasures, emotions, and frustrations via this procedure. There is no compulsion to write about anything, and no one will judge you. There's something magical that happens when you put pen to paper. You broaden your horizons when you choose not to live in
K – Kindness: Starting over in recovery may help you become a gentler person towards those around you. Kindness and compassion may improve one's well-being and aid healing. It can also aid in the alleviation of loneliness and isolation, the development of healthy relationships, and the improvement of self-esteem. People who observe or benefit from another person's kindness and compassion are more inclined to be nice. You can be kind and empathic to anyone, whether it be a family member, a friend, or a stranger. It just takes a few random acts of kindness to make a difference.
L – Love: Substance abuse, screen addiction or mental illness have an impact on every facet of life, particularly relationships. However, now that you're in recovery, you'll be able to restore the connections that have withered. Recovery can allow you to love more deeply than you ever thought possible, especially now that you can experience and give love.
M – Meditation: The practice of mindfulness meditation entails being totally absorbed in what is going on. That means paying attention to what you're doing and where you're going at any given time - and nothing else. Mindfulness meditation is a good option for recovery because it requires you to be fully present, aware of where you are and what you are doing, rather than reacting to everything going on around you. Quiet time is about stillness of mind and body. It will assist you in being more concentrated on several aspects of your life as you become able to see a thought and not ruminate or act. Meditation makes breath and movement more aligned to intention and connection (inside or out).
N – Nurture: One of the most important components of getting sober is nurturing one's mental health. We must understand that tuning into our inner world after being isolated from it for so long is both beautiful and daring; we must honor that throughout our journey.
O – Open-mindedness: Being open-minded is an important way of structuring your thought process in recovery, and it may make a significant difference in your capacity to succeed. Accepting new ideas and other ways of perceiving the world, as well as other people's ways of thinking, is what open-mindedness involves. It stems from the realization that you don't know everything and that you must be willing to learn from others. During your recovery journey, you will undoubtedly meet a range of people with backgrounds that are vastly different from your own. You may be asked to learn from them and see the world in a new light as you travel along a path that has good and bad. Both can be used for your creativity and growth.
P – Positivity: Early recovery from mental illness, alcoholism, screen addiction or drug dependence is difficult. Maintaining a positive attitude and cultivating an optimistic outlook can aid you on your journey and encourage you to live a healthy lifestyle. While it's tempting to focus on the bad parts of addiction, optimism may help you take responsibility for your actions, move on from your mistakes, and continue to develop and recover. Having a positive outlook to welcome change will offset imagining a boom, a disappointment or devastation. Mindset sets the course!
Q – Quality: Pursuing virtue literally builds character. Quality or virtue keep the big picture at hand so impulse or avoidance are not invited to this party. The journey of moral character not only makes it easier to sleep at night but cognitive load and gut instinct prime your moral company, the company you keep and the ability to seize one goal at a time.
R – Rehabilitation: Dedicating your life to rehabilitation will assist you in reclaiming your values. Values guide our decision-making and assist us in making decisions that reflect who we want to be. They instruct us on what matters and how we should conduct ourselves in the world. Our values are the yardstick by which we measure our behaviors, regardless of how they are created.
S – Strength: Being able to recover swiftly after a big life experience necessitates tremendous mental strength and psychological resilience. Being mentally strong allows us to use our cognitive capacity to its maximum potential, allowing us to be more creative, take advantage of opportunities as they arise, and approach stressful circumstances with greater serenity and less worry.
T – Today: For many individuals, staying in the present is a challenging endeavor. Anxiety about the future and regrets about the past may keep us up at night, making it seem as though living for today is impossible. While focusing on the present might be challenging, it is the most effective way to appreciate the little time you have each day and tackle difficulties one day at a time. We can't predict what will happen in the future, and we can't undo what has already happened. The only way forward is to take little steps further and focus on what we can control and do right now. You just have to be concerned about today since yesterday has passed you by and tomorrow has yet to arrive.
U – Understanding: There are two aspects to this. Understanding how recovery works and being patient with people around you are important. Recognize that healing is about the journey, not just the end result. Simultaneously, being kind and sympathetic to those around you will benefit you far more than you might realize.
V - Values: Yep - values are mentioned twice on the list. Define what matters most to you. Putting values into action is challenging. Compassion, humility, forgiveness, support, respect, follow through, family, connection, courage, dignity, responsibility, honesty, loyalty, kindness, intelligence, freedom. Stay grounded in 2 or 3 objectives each value encompasses. Take a daily inventory to see if you are on track and if you are not, pivot towards the value and it’s objectives.
W – Willingness: When you are inclined to do something because you want to rather than because you are forced to, you are said to have willingness. When you're in recovery, this is crucial. If you were willing to get yourself into recovery, you would rather accept this change than resist it. Willingness might give you the motivation to take the necessary actions to overcome that obstacle that seems insurmountable, be it family conflict, a diagnosis, singleness, a failure, addiction, devastation and loss.Willingness is having an open mind about what your life might be like if you weren't addicted to a process, a screen, a drug or drink. In time, you will be learning so much which will feed even more curiosity and self-awareness.
Y – You: Self-care is sometimes misunderstood as selfish, yet there is a significant distinction between being selfish and practicing self-care. Learning to love and care for yourself is one of the most difficult things you will ever do. Yet, having compassion, patience, and healthy habits is the cornerstone of getting and staying clean. Self-care allows you to build relationships and to maintain the responsibility of self-regulation.
Z – Zeal: Having zeal for life keeps us interested and active, as well as provides the incentive to live a genuine existence. The key to zeal is being present in this moment, not past or future. Knowing what sparks our spirit provides us with not just a sense of delight, but also a sense of purpose that serves as a driving force. Have enthusiasm in your recovery efforts to make things lighter and more enjoyable.
Because you've learned the ABCs of recovery, the next stage is to put them into practice in your life. For development, recovery will necessitate some effort. May you be guided on your road to recovery so that you can live the life you've always wanted.
Solstice Pacific is here to assist you or someone you know who requires extra help. While we understand that seeking help can be challenging and even frightening, our compassionate and professional team will be there to assist you. We may need you to complete this quick examination and verify your insurance before beginning your treatment with us. We'd like to learn more about you.
