I’ve been in addiction recovery since 1992, and I am still working my 12 step program to the best of my ability and maintain that ‘Just for today’ I won’t drink or use drugs. That’s nearly 21 years of that mantra.
Although relapse has not been part of my story to-date, it has swirled around me personally as I’ve watched friends slip and relapse on a repeated basis. I don’t put myself above it because it could be me any day. To be totally honest, my personal addiction to alcohol and drugs scares the-you-know-what out of me. I will always, always, always feel incredibly blessed for falling fast and hard, leaving some wreckage to others, and not so much to myself.
If you’ve followed my blog here at Pat Moore Foundation, me at Ask Recovery Rob, or even my new blog at Pat Moore Detox, you’ll know I grew up in a family of addicts and was surrounded by them for most of my younger life. So, I saw the destruction, and what haunts me most to this day is the damage done by having an absent alcoholic mother. I don’t blame her because she did the best she could. She did the very best any addict parent can do for their child. The day she got sober was a good day – a great day. However, the seed(s) were planted and I was growing resentments and searching for love in anyone who would look my way.
That second part is a story of its own, my focus here is about drug addiction. So, what is drug addiction? Well, drug addiction is a chronic, typically relapsing disease that centers in the brain. Its compulsive drug seeking and use regardless of harmful consequences to the addict and those around them. Drug addiction leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain, and even though it is true most people decide to take drugs voluntarily, there are some that over time experience brain changes that can affect a their self-control and ability to make sound decisions. At the same time it also creates an intense impulse to take drugs.
There are treatments that help people to counteract drug addiction’s disruptive effects and help them regain control on their life. Typically, and most successfully in my opinion, alcohol and drug treatment should consist of a combination of addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy. I think this is the best way to ensure success for most. For me, therapy and 12 step programs saved my life, as I was dealing with a lot of childhood trauma.
What keeps me sober today is that I understand drug addiction is a chronic disease that needs to be treated daily, just like diabetes, asthma, or heart disease. My addiction can be managed effectively if I take my recovery, even almost 21 year later, one day at a time.
Recovery Rob BIO
Recovery Rob is a 48-year-old man who has been sober since August 23, 1992, whose drugs of choice at one time were alcohol and drugs. Rob has worked in and around the field of addiction for more than 30 years. Rob is the main contributing writer for Pat Moore Detox, has his own website at www.askrecoveryrob.com, and he hopes to reach out and continue to help others who work through their process of addiction and recovery. Recovery Rob is a professional writer who has published two novels and is currently working on his third.