Addiction Recovery is the Answer
Transformations Care Takes Addiction Personally
We take addiction personally because for us it is personal. At Transformations Care we do what we do because we know there is a way out. We know the way forward. It wasn’t enough for us to sit on the sidelines once we or our loved ones were in the clear. Our program of addiction recovery teaches us that we only get to keep what we have by continuing to carry the message and bring that same lifeline to others.
This is what we do in our personal and professional lives. We believe it’s what we were meant to do with the rest of our lives. Many people misunderstand the disease model of addiction. The fact that addiction is a disease does not mean that the person who is addicted holds no responsibility for their behavior.
What it does mean is that the person cannot rely upon willpower or discipline alone to overcome their illness. Addiction recovery is not a matter of willpower. A person who is addicted can no more “will themselves” not to be addicted then a diabetic can will their pancreas to create insulin. But the diabetic does have a responsibility to take their medication and to eat properly and to ask for help or accept it when it’s offered.
Recovering People Make the World a Better Place
Addiction recovery isn’t about a “cure”. Medical science may someday invent such a thing, but it doesn’t exist today. But don’t despair. The fact that addiction recovery is hard work and that it must continue for life is actually a blessing in disguise. That may sound a little wild but stick with us. The truth is that if there was just a pill we could take that would erase our addiction, we would not get any of the character development or spiritual growth that comes from the WORK of addiction recovery. This process gives us so much more than just freedom from addiction.
It makes us better people. We learn to live in gratitude and wonder. People in recovery learn to love more deeply and to appreciate others in a way they never could before. They develop newfound empathy and insight. The rewards of addiction recovery go so, so, so far beyond simply staying off drugs and alcohol.
This is about much more than learning not to destroy yourself and the people around you. Addiction recovery empowers us to do more than simply “not harm”. Recovered addicts and alcoholics make the world a better place. They bring more love and understanding in a world that seems to need it more than ever. The truth is that most people could benefit from practicing the principles of recovery in their lives. It just so happens that addicts and alcoholics need them to survive.
Surrender to Win
This is what is meant by “surrender” by the way. People often equate that with giving up. It’s not. It’s accepting that what we’ve been doing doesn’t work. Trying to take addiction head on doesn’t work. We let go of that and we let go of addiction. That’s the surrender. We agree to stop the futile struggle and accept a better way. Outsmarting addiction starts with repairing ourselves and our lives. The mind is where addiction lives. Addiction thrives in a mind that is tormented with the echoes of trauma. Low self-worth, resentment towards oneself and others. Fear and anxiety. Anger. All of these create fertile soil for addiction to grow.
Addiction Recovery is Repair and Growth
What we do at Transformations Care is help people manifest change. We change the conditions that are allowing addiction to thrive. This is what real addiction recovery is. Not simply removing the drugs and alcohol and educating about addiction and triggers. Those things help, but only temporarily and that’s why lesser treatment programs often fail to help people stay sober in the long term. Lasting addiction recovery can only happen when we clean the mind and soul.
We open the blinds and let the light of truth in. Open the windows and doors and let fresh air blow through. That’s a metaphor for the work of addiction recovery. Identifying and processing past trauma so healing can occur is part of it. Facing our fears and the things we like least about ourselves. Being willing to change and to do the work required. Diagnosing and treating co-occurring disorders properly. If a person has depression, anxiety or another mental health disorder along with addiction, we diagnose and treat it. This is essential because those conditions are a frequent reason for relapse.
