Fairfield County ADAMH Board
  • HOME
  • About the Board
    • Mission, Values, Vision
    • Meetings >
      • Board Minutes
      • SFY 2015
      • SFY 2016
      • SFY 2017
      • SFY 2018
    • Board Members
    • How to Become an ADAMH Board Member
    • Board Staff
    • The ADAMH Star eNewsletter
    • Public Private Solutions
    • Plans and Goals for Our Community
    • Culture of Quality Certification
  • Services
    • Service Providers and Available Services
    • Online Recovery Supports
    • AA and NA
    • Mental Health Support Groups
    • Family Support Groups
    • Pro Bono Counseling Program
    • Re-Entry Coalition
    • Client Rights and Responsibilities
    • Agency Contract Materials >
      • SFY 2022 Contract Application Materials
  • Our Community
    • Issue 6
    • Upcoming Events >
      • 2021 Friend of ADAMH Awards
      • Mental Health First Aid
    • Past ADAMH Events >
      • 2013 >
        • Join the Voices of Recovery Picnics 2013
      • 2014 >
        • Lancaster Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Trade Show 2014
        • 2014 ADAMH Board Network of Care Annual Dinner
        • 2014 NAMImobile
        • Crisis Intervention Team Training
        • 2014 ADAMH Levy
      • 2015 >
        • 2015 Child Abuse Prevention Month
      • 2016 >
        • 2016 Recovery Conference
        • 2016 ADAMH Network of Care Annual Dinner
        • 2016 Dodgeball
        • 2016 Fairfield County Stand Down Event
      • 2017 >
        • 2017 Annual Dinner
        • Post Recovery Conference Page
      • 2018 >
        • A Community Conversation for Families about Addiction
        • 2018 Annual Dinner
        • Family-to-Family Education Program
        • Post Recovery Conference 2018
      • 2019 >
        • 2019 All-star Celebration Annual Dinner
        • First Responders Week of Appreciation Ceremony & Reception
        • 2019 Fairfield County Stand Down
        • Operation Street Smart
        • Strategic Planning Forum Follow-up
        • Post Recovery Conference 2019
        • The Mystery of Risk Training
        • SBIRT
        • Youth Behavior Survey Results
        • Making Connections for Families
    • Community Partners >
      • The Fairfield County Photography Project
    • Opiate Task Force
    • Working Partners
    • Job Postings
  • Resources
    • Data and Reports >
      • Local Data and Reports >
        • Community Needs Assessment
      • State Data and Reports
      • National/Federal Data and Reports >
        • CESAR Fax
    • Recovery Is Beautiful.
    • Facebook Tool
    • "Hooked" Video
    • News Worthy
    • Topical Information >
      • Addiction
      • Alcohol
      • Anxiety
      • Bipolar Disorder
      • Cocaine/Crack Cocaine
      • Depression
      • Domestic Violence Information
      • Gambling Addiction
      • Heroin and Other Opiates
      • Methamphetamine
      • Parenting Effectively
      • Prescription Drugs
      • Psychosis
      • Schizophrenia
      • Seasonal Affective Disorder
      • Sizzurp
      • Suicide
    • Press Releases
    • Weblinks
  • Blog
  • Contact ADAMH

What Recovery Means

9/26/2019

 
Picture
This blog was written by Fairfield County ADAMH Board Program Coordinator Patricia Waits, M.Ed., LPC, LICDC-CS.
 
It is easy to get confused by all of the jargon thrown around with regard to improving one’s life, especially if one is getting better from an illness such as substance abuse or another mental health problem (or both). We cannot all agree on what a relapse is, let alone what recovery is. However, this is what it means to me. Take this only as a personal opinion based upon my experiences, both professionally for the past 35 years and personally: Recovery is simply being able to live your life the way you are at your best.
    
The systems each define their expectations of what recovery should look like. For the court, it may be never repeating earlier performances for the judge or probation officer. It is not doing the same thing again and expecting different results. The 12-step folks say, “Whenever I use, I break out in handcuffs.” Stop breaking out in handcuffs and you will be showing signs of recovery. (It is also a nice way to stay out of jail at Christmastime.)
 
The child protective services system or juvenile and family court may see recovery from the eyes of your children. Are you awake? Do you play with them? Can you laugh with them? Do you know how to handle it when they are sick or when someone is picking on them in school? If you don’t know what to do, do you have folks you can call and ask? Do you have a support system that allows you to just call and complain because the kids are on your last nerve today? Loving your children is not so much about what you “feel” as what you actually do.
    
I work in the substance abuse and mental health field, so I look at recovery from the point of view of the person who knows that he or she has an illness. Recovery means trying and trying again. Sometimes it means you fall down and you get back up. Not everyone has to go down the same path in life with their addiction, and so not everyone has to experience recovery the same way. The main thing, I believe, is to just keep searching and trying to get better. If you hate one treatment method, try another.
 
In terms of my own life, I ask myself:
 
“Am I living my life the way I want it to be?”
 
“Am I laughing, loving, learning, and moving on?”
 
“Do my relationships with others benefit them and myself?”
 
“Do I believe that I have a purpose on the planet, and is there a being greater than I that I can consult regularly in order to stay consistent with my values and behaviors?”
    
“Can I be honest today?”
 
“Do I face my fears, instead of running from them?”
 
“Am I selfish and self-serving or do I recognize that I am only one of a million beings who need things on a daily basis?”
 
“Do I appreciate all the gifts I have been given, including the very breaths I take?”
 
“Do I honor and respect others around me?”
 
“Do I ask for help when I need it?”
 
“Do I give help when I am asked for it?”
 
Finally, I ask myself each morning, “What can I do to be of service?” This willingness to see myself as a part of the whole seems to be essential to my own recovery. Again, there are many options and opportunities out there if you go and explore them. Recovery is worth it.


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    November 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2017
    September 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    June 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Prevention Works - Treatment is Effective - People Recover

Disclaimer: Information contained on this website is believed to be accurate but is not warranted or intended to diagnose or treat any physical, mental, or addiction disorders. Always seek the advice of a physician if you have any health-related questions.