From the 2007 April issue of the Bulletin of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine:

A Personal Program of Recovery

At the core of addiction – is a compulsive tendency to use a drug or to engage in an activity that changes how one feels – to dodge one way of feeling – and to manufacture another.

The compulsion to use may be active – or it may linger and recur during times of anger, stress or complacency. True addiction has lost connection to the reasons why one began to use in the first place and has taken on a course of its own – beyond rational sense, casual habit or psychological meaning.

Left unchecked, other aspects of life and personhood may be overtaken by the compulsive appetite of addiction. Healthy routine and relationships are left aside. The need to obtain and to use drugs becomes a priority of day to day life. Mental habits of thought, feeling and perception are distorted by the pull to use. Destructive changes may occur within the brain.

Regrettably, the compulsion to use and the distortions of lifestyle, mind and brain that occur – do not disappear just because an addicted person decides one day that they do not wish to use. Education, support, lifestyle change and specific treatment are often required for early abstinence to take hold.

Recovery is about learning to enjoy life without the use of alcohol or drugs that alter mind or mood. It is a day to day remedy for the compulsive tendencies addiction – an approach to the challenges of life – and a path to personal growth. Recovery is not so much about stopping to use drugs in the first place – but more to do with ‘not starting’ to use again today.

Recovery may be personalized – but it has its necessary principles and ways. It is not just about ‘holding on’ to abstinence. It is not always about doing what feels good right now. And because the tendency of addiction persists over time – active participation in recovery is best sustained on a day to day basis – one day after another.

A Personal Program of Recovery is a reminder list – of those things important to do each day and week in recovery from addiction. Ask for help in the morning – Give thanks at night – Recovery reading – Quiet time for personal inventory – Connecting with others in recovery – Attendance to recovery support group – Medical or counseling appointments – Journal writing and personal inventory.

It is easy to lose track of things kept just in our head. We get busy, distracted – and lose direction. A Personal Program of Recovery is a commitment to health – and is best written down. Writing items down on paper helps to organize, sustain and to track one’s activities of recovery.

A weekly diary, notepad or computer may be used to record a Personal Program. What few things will I do for my recovery each day? What recovery support meetings will I attend to each week? Have I included time for exercise or quiet relaxation? What recovery activities have been most helpful to me? What have others told me has been necessary for them to do? What have I left out – or what am I avoiding?

What things are best for me to set aside just now? Going to a pharmacy alone – Letting myself get too tired – Spending too much time alone – Going to a bar – Treating my own symptoms – Playing resentments in my mind – Working long hours – Being with others who are using – Too much empty time – Taking on too much at once.

There are many triggers to relapsed use. But each of us has one or two people, places or things most likely to get under our skin. These items belong on a Personal Program. Make a list of those triggers most likely to challenge your recovery. Remind yourself daily – to be alert to those risks.

Regardless of all efforts – a day will come when you feel overwhelmed or at other risk to your recovery. Make a list of what you will do. Be specific. Write down the names and telephone numbers of the people you would contact – or the places you would go.

A Personal Program is also a foundation – a steady part to one’s day and week. Regardless of what else happens, your program is there to rely upon. It provides a structure and a routine to one’s day – and grounds us in the activities of our recovery.

The program is there to follow when we are feeling lazy. It is there when we are worried – or confident – about our recovery. The program is a reminder of what to do when we have the time – or when we are pressured, stressed or busy.

A Personal Program of Recovery counteracts the disarray of addiction – and provides a centering ground of stability for those days when we are complacent, restless, pressured or distracted by other apparent priorities.

Treatment programs emphasize the importance of daily routine, balance and structure in recovery. A Personal Program is self structured aftercare – helping one to sustain the activities of recovery beyond the intensive routine of residential treatment.

SupportNet.ca offers printable Recovery Resources – to help one get started with a Personal Program of Recovery. A Relapse Trigger Inventory – the Coping and Crisis Planner – a One Day in Recovery record – and a sample Journal page. A notes handbook titled ‘Your Personal Program of Recovery’ provides a summary of this writing – and a simple outline for recording a recovery routine.

As in all activities of life – apply the principles of recovery to your Personal Program. Keep it simple and be realistic. Don’t clutter your day with more than you can handle – but do what you need to do. Don’t give up if all does not go right the first time around.Listen to the experience of others.

Put first things first – and follow through with what you’ve written down. Don’t change things every day. But don’t also be too rigid. Time is well spent – to organize and update a program list for each new week.

In Summary

The compulsive tendency of addiction may linger and recur – during times of anger, stress or complacency. Life can be busy and recovery is easily nudged aside.

A Personal Program grounds us in the activities of our recovery. It is a commitment to health – and a reminder of what is necessary to do each day and week.

Recovery counteracts the compulsive tendency towards relapsed use – and provide a foundation for personal growth. Keeping a simple, personalized program can help to sustain the activities of recovery – one day at a time and day after day.