Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’

Roughly 89 years ago, two individuals struggling with addiction determined that there were two primary ways that they were going get and stay sober. This was by working with other people in recovery and connecting with a Higher Power that was greater than themselves. These two individuals were Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith, the two co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). Their program has since gone on to help millions of individuals and their families recover from the depths of addiction. They have also helped people by introducing the concept of keeping recovery “one day at a time.”

Better Understanding Addiction Recovery at the Cellular Level

Now, recovery at the cellular level is often easier said than done. This is because recovery at the cellular level takes a serious plan of action and hard work. It also takes a focus on healing the capital “S” Self. 

This includes a focus on healing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual Self. To do this, one must also concentrate on getting to the underlying issues of addiction.

Getting to the Underlying Issues of Addiction

It is important to understand that the issues of addiction go deeper than simply picking up that first drink or drug. Rather, it is about the underlying issues that lead to the behaviors that lead the individual to pick up that drink or drug. This is why it is often said in 12-Step recovery that it is about the “thinking” more than it is about the “drinking.”

Many people don’t realize that they are struggling with these underlying issues. This is because they are often buried so deep that one does not realize how affected they are by them. These issues are often associated with issues of trauma and/or post-traumatic stress syndrome. They may also be associated with issues of grief.

Grief can be devastating and lead to issues of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD). There are many stages of grief, and the potential to misuse alcohol and substances is present in all of them. This misuse has the potential to lead to addiction (as well as mental illness). However, this also comes with visible signs and symptoms of addiction. This is also why recognizing the signs and symptoms of grief and addiction can be so vital.

Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Addiction

Addiction is a complex disease, and, yes, it is a disease. Many people get confused and think of it as some type of moral failing or “choice.” This is simply misguided. Now, the signs and symptoms of addiction (and co-occurring disorders) are going to vary based on the individual. However, there are some universal signs that someone may be struggling. The following are just a few of those universal signs and symptoms:

• Loss of appetite and sudden changes in weight (loss or gain)
• Feeling overly anxious, nervous, or “stressed out”
• Isolating away from family and close friends
• Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
• Struggles with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (hypersomnia and insomnia)
• Having feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, or hopelessness
• Feeling depressed
• Engaging in other risky behaviors
• Exhibiting excessive mood swings
• Harming oneself or others
• Having suicidal ideations

As one can see, addiction should never be minimized. It can be life or death. This is why if any, many, or all of these symptoms are present it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences.

The Importance of Individualized and Comprehensive Recovery

The reality is that the recovery realm is now a billion-dollar industry. While this is positive in that there are more opportunities for individuals to get sober, there is also an increase in “bad actor” recovery centers. These are the recovery centers that often focus on their own financial bottom line rather than their client’s well-being. 

These are the type of recovery centers that only offer overarching “one-note” treatment plans that don’t take the individual into account. Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we find that this type of recovery is rarely effective. This is why we focus on the individual from the very beginning of their recovery journey. This includes the intervention and detox process.

Many people may be surprised to hear that a recovery center on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island has intervention professionals on staff who can work in all 50 states. These are the type of professionals who can best ensure that a family’s loved one gets to treatment (and potentially detox) safe and sound. This is a recovery that focuses on the long term.

Looking at Recovery in the Long Term

It is important to understand that recovery is more about the journey than it is about the destination. That is why looking at recovery in the long term is so important. This includes positive long-term goal setting.

Envisioning where one wants to go in one’s recovery is crucial. It keeps an individual motivated and offers essential hope. However, often the best way to get to those long-term goals is keeping recovery “one day at a time.”

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’

Now, keeping recovery “one day at a time” is all about taking the next right step in every moment. Of course, there will be “side steps” and mistakes, but the key is to understand and grow from those mistakes and focus on keeping recovery moving forward.

It is important to remember that recovery is all about “progress, not perfection.” Learning these types of motivational messages often happens by engaging in 12-Step recovery.

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ With Recovery Groups and Meetings

Connecting with others in recovery can be critical. This is because connecting with others who have gone through similar experiences can be important for understanding that one is not alone in their journey. 

This connection can happen in recovery meetings like those offered in 12-Step recovery. This is where one can get a sponsor (someone who can mentor someone new in recovery) and start to work the Twelve Steps of recovery.

The First Step of 12-Step recovery states, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol [and substances] – that our lives had become unmanageable.” Yes, admitting that there is a problem early in recovery is crucial. It is only after one commits to admitting their issues that they can then begin to accept the help that they often so desperately need. This acceptance is often aided by psychotherapy.

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ With Psychotherapy

Now, keeping recovery “one day at a time” takes serious work. Part of that work comes with sticking to a regular recovery plan that includes psychotherapy. These are psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and person-centered therapy.

Person-centered therapy can be highly beneficial, yet it can often be overlooked as an effective modality. According to the International Journal of Person-Centered Medicine, “A clinician’s effectiveness in treatment depends substantially on his or her attitude toward – and understanding of — the patient as a person endowed with self-awareness and the will to direct his or her own future. The assessment of personality in the therapeutic encounter is a crucial foundation for forming an effective working alliance with shared goals. Helping a person to reflect on their personality provides a mirror image of their strengths and weaknesses in adapting to life’s many challenges.” Another psychotherapy that can be highly effective is trauma-informed therapy.

Trauma-informed therapy can be critically important because, as previously mentioned, trauma is highly prevalent, whether an individual is struggling with addiction or not. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Many people will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives. Often unexpected and shocking, it may overwhelm their ability to cope and create a lasting sense of fear, vulnerability, and helplessness. Traumatic events are scary or dangerous experiences that can affect people emotionally and physically. They include acts of violence (e.g., assault, physical or emotional abuse, war), natural disasters, car crashes, and other accidents.” Experiential therapies can also help with these underlying traumas.

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ With Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapy is more complex than just “having experiences.” It is also about growth. According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology, “Experiential learning is a form of practice-based education that provides exposure and opportunities for students to explore interpersonal dynamics during work, along with the roles and identities they will encounter as future professionals. There is a general agreement across disciplines that educational programs for future therapists should include both didactic and experiential components since learning involves both cognitive and affective processes. Thus, learning is based on active personal experience in combination with theoretical concepts.” Experiential therapies can also be nature-based. Nature has been shown to be highly effective at increasing mood and helping with overall well-being. 

This is because human beings were meant to be “in nature.” According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Despite living in this modern era and surroundings, our bodies are best adapted to living in a natural environment. This could be because 6-7 million years ago our ancestors started evolving from a subset of primates into our current form, and early humans spent over 99.99% of that time living in a natural environment. If we define the beginning of urbanization as the rise of the Industrial Revolution, less than 0.01% of our species’ history has been spent in modern surroundings.”

Another highly effective experiential therapy is art therapy. This is especially true for individuals with co-occurring issues of addiction and mental health. According to Frontiers in Psychology, “Art therapy, is defined by the British Association of Art Therapists as: ‘a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Clients referred to art therapists are not required to have experience or skills in the arts…. The overall goal of its practitioners is to enable clients to change and grow on a personal level through the use of artistic materials in a safe and convenient environment.’” Holistic healing methods can also be a critical component of recovery at the cellular level.

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ With Holistic Healing Methods

Now, there are many types of effective holistic healing methods. Two of the most popular are yoga therapy and mindfulness meditation. These two modalities have been practiced for thousands of years, long before they were even considered “modalities.” They are now often used in the recovery realm.

Meditation is not a monolith. There are many types, including meditation that are incorporated into psychotherapy. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), “Programs that teach meditation or mindfulness may combine the practices with other activities. For example, mindfulness-based stress reduction is a program that teaches mindful meditation, but it also includes discussion sessions and other strategies to help people apply what they have learned to stressful experiences. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy integrates mindfulness practices with aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy.”

There are also many other types of yoga that can be particularly beneficial. These benefits are extremely positive. According to the peer-reviewed journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, “Evidence regarding yoga’s beneficial effects on health and well-being in a variety of populations is rapidly increasing. Specifically regarding emotions, studies have found that yoga improves positive emotions and reduces negative emotions. For example, in one randomized controlled trial (RCT), women undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer who participated in twice-weekly yoga experienced reductions in depression and anxiety relative to those in a wait-list control.” Connecting with others in recovery can also be critical.

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ by Working With Others

Now, keeping recovery “one day at a time” can only be benefitted by connecting to others. This is also one of the best ways to reduce the chances of a potential relapse. 

Connecting with others in recovery is even discussed in the primary text of 12-Step recovery (often referred to as the Big Book). The Big Book states, “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]…. Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends – this is an experience you must not miss.”

Connecting with others in recovery can also happen in other places beyond 12-Step recovery meetings. This includes participating in group therapy sessions, as well as with recovery center alumni groups. As the Buddha famously stated, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Ultimately, recovery is more about being with others than it is in isolation. Isolation can be one of the most common signs of a pending relapse. 

Keeping Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in keeping recovery “one day at a time,” while also understanding the importance of having long-term goals. This is why we focus on long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is done via our comprehensive and individualized treatment plans. It is also done by the use of the multi-angled approach to recovery that utilizes many means, methods, and modalities.

Recovery is one of the most amazing journeys that an individual may ever go on. However, that journey requires one very important piece – starting! Also, there is perhaps no better place to start this amazing journey than right here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab on the Hamkua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.

It is important to stay in the moment in recovery. This keeps one grounded. It also keeps recovery “fresh,” which is essential for avoiding relapse and chronic relapsing. The key to keeping recovery in the moment is sticking to an effective treatment plan and working with recovery peers and professionals. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about effective means, methods, and modalities for recovery, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.