Recovery from drugs and alcohol can have many meanings to many people. Recovery is typically a process that an individual works towards reaching a goal to live without drugs or alcohol, as well as improving their health and quality of life. Not just a healing process, recovery is a lifestyle chosen by individuals that want to live a longer, self-directing, and productive life.
We all know someone who is in recovery or a friend of a friend who is a recovering addict. You see them at parties, family gatherings, and observe how they mingle and socialize without drinking alcoholic beverages. This step is difficult but this shows how the person has progressed from a using addict to a recovering addict. For many addicts who are on the road to recovery from drug and or alcohol addictions, the first few weeks to months and sometimes years are the most difficult times.

Most people think problems during recovery will trigger substance use and abuse again. Recovery is a chronic lifetime process, just as addiction is a long-term condition. Most addicts in recovery can be quite emotional in the early stages of the process. They start feeling down, cry uncontrollably, and blame others for their addiction. There is so much shame and guilt an addict has from things he or she remembers doing and situations where there was not control. Substance abuse counselors suggest that the addict goes back and call people that he or she has wronged. This is quite therapeutic in the recovery process because it helps a person heal from all the guilt.

People in recovery help their own healing process by working with others that are in early stages. Working with others always helps with practicing what you have learned during the complete process. It also encourages new ways to implement them into your own life while seeing how others use them in their lives. Communicating and assisting others can keep the stories fresh in your mind and is a helpful reminder of the reasons you are doing this and how this journey has changed your life for the better. Others can receive encouragement from your life past events, and you can also walk away with great inspiration mentally as well as spiritually from the people you are talking with/and listening too.

Self-esteem is a critical aspect for anyone who is recovering from drugs and alcohol, communicating and listening to other’s share their experiences and comparing it to what you have accomplished helps with your own self-esteem. Drugs and alcohol breaks us down emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Recovery is something you will be working on every day, every moment for the rest of your life from here.