Drug Abuse and Dependence - Recovery
Recovery from drug abuse or dependence means finding a way to stay drug-free while changing your attitudes and behaviors. In recovery, you work to restore relationships with your family and friends and with people at your job or school. You seek to find meaning and happiness in a healthy lifestyle that doesn't include drugs.
Recovery is not a cure. It is a lifelong
process. It begins in treatment, but it doesn't end when your treatment ends.
There are
10 principles of recovery
(What is a PDF document?) that can help you reach your goals and learn new things to
help yourself. They help you gain self-confidence and respect for yourself.
They make clear that you're in charge of your recovery. How far you go is up to
you.
To help stay drug-free after treatment, find things to do, such as sports or volunteer work. Stay away from friends or family members who use drugs. Learn how to say no to alcohol and drugs.
Support
An important part of recovery is being sure you have support. You can:
- Develop and use social support and support groups. Support comes in many forms. You can find it in seminars and groups led by professionals, in 12-step groups made up of others who have drug problems, and in your relationships with family and friends. You can make support groups more helpful by being an active member.
- Connect with family and friends. Your family and friends can help you stop using drugs and stay drug-free by encouraging positive steps. But for them to do this, you have to be honest about your problems and help them by trying.
- Take part in recovery group activities. You may have used drugs to make friends or be with a social group. Your counselor or doctor can help you learn skills to make friends without using drugs. For example, your counselor may help you find a social skills training class.
- Find a sponsor and work with this person. A sponsor is someone who has been in recovery for a long time and helps you stay drug-free.
Lapse and relapse
Stopping drug use is very hard. It's normal to have setbacks, even years later. Very few people succeed the first time they try. A lapse or relapse is likely.
- A lapse is the first time you use a drug again after you have quit, or brief episodes of drug use later on.
- A relapse is not being able to stay drug-free over time. It can occur if you have a series of lapses close together or a lapse that leads to heavier drug use over a longer period. A relapse is most likely to happen a few months after you have quit using drugs.
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