Perspectives
Recovery - By Amy
Amy is a PeerSupport Specialist at 100MW and will author a monthly Perspective going forward.
How does one know when they are in recovery? Is it by the messages received from the recovery community? By the changes we have made? Or is it when we have been able to stop using?
For me, that understanding didn't come until I was nearly 8 years past my last use, had become a productive member of society, and had restored my relationships with friends and family. I was doing the work, one day at a time, to be a better version of myself. To some, that may sound ridiculous, or hard to believe. My recovery community had consistently driven home the belief that my choice to utilize Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) meant that I was not "clean."
After years of struggling with this idea and feeling like I had to hide that part of my life to be accepted by my recovery community, someone entered my life that challenged me to look more closely at what the true definition of recovery was. On the SAMHSA website, I found a brochure with a definition that really spoke to me and gave me the assurance that I was truly a person in recovery. “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and mental wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” There’s more and it’s worth reading. The brochure can be downloaded at no cost at: https://lnkd.in/eMqwU_6e
I am sharing this with the hope that anyone who has been told that their path to recovery is wrong or not good enough will take a moment and reassess that idea. Today I am proud to align myself with others who are actively working to find ways to support individual choice to do recovery as they see fit.
I am sharing this with the hope that anyone who has been told that their path to recovery is wrong or not good enough will take a moment and reassess that idea. Today I am proud to align myself with others who are actively working to find ways to support individual choice to do recovery as they see fit.