The 5 AAA's of Recovery
Addiction recovery takes time and effort. Time allows for the brain and body to heal and for the individual to start processing thoughts and emotions clearly again. The effort put in by the individual will be directly proportional to the likelihood of success and long term abstinence from their addiction. As such, a long term recovery program with a daily commitment to personal development, will be much more likely to result in a content and happy life than a short term of abstinence where the individual is putting forth little to no effort at all.
There are five common attributes of a long-term and sustainable recovery program. These five attributes are as follows;
Acceptance
Awareness
Authenticity
Attachment
Action
It is important to notice that I have not included 'addiction' as one of the five. Addiction is the life attribute that we are trying to recover from. Including it as part of our recovery program would be suggesting that relapse is a necessary aspect of recovery. I do not feel that it is. If it happens then we must learn from it and determine which part of our recovery program requires more attention however I do not feel that lapse or relapse is required to notify us of that.
Acceptance
Acceptance is the foundation of any recovery program. In human psychology the word is used to describe one's assent to the reality of a situation without the need to protest it or change it. In the 12-step program of recovery, serenity is dependent on acceptance. In cognitive therapy, acceptance is required to avoid control issues and other maladaptive thinking behaviors. Regardless of the program, acceptance is key to relinquishing control and focusing on the ability to change one's self or their perception and not everything around them.
Awareness
Awareness comes in part with time. As one remains abstinent for longer periods of time, their awareness of their person as well as their surroundings and environment grows as well. The focus in recovery however is personal awareness. Becoming aware of the irrational and maladaptive thinking patterns that one has habituated over years of addictive living. It is also important that one becomes in touch with their body and how they feel. For most addicts, suppression of emotions has been the paramount goal of their addiction. Getting back in touch with those emotions can be a frustrating and difficult task. Practicing mindfulness and increasing one's emotional IQ will eventually lead to heightened awareness and being present in the here and now.
Authenticity
Authenticity involves removing all of the masks that accompanied us through our addiction. One by one, the addict must remove each mask, revealing more and more of the authentic self. Being vulnerable will not come naturally, as the masks of addiction have been in place to offer some sort of protection. The internalization of shame had resulted in lives of secrecy and withdrawal from one's self. The exposure of this shame and our deepest secrets exposes the truth and allows us to heal. Eventually, with nothing further to hide, we begin to transform back into our authentic selves. It is not until we become authentic and begin living life as we were meant to do we become free. Knowing who we truly are and being comfortable with that person will result in a level of freedom likely never experienced by the addict.
Attachment
Attachment in recovery refers to the new personal connections you will make with other recovering people as well as the renewal of past relationships that were strained due to the addiction. Personal trust issues will determine the resistance to building new relationships and trust issues in others will determine the resistance to renewing past relationships. Attachment is integral in a successful recovery plan as connection to other humans is a need of every person on earth. We live for a deep and meaningful connection to another person. Without this connection we will find ourselves very lonely and isolated. Attachment will also provide one with the emotional support that is paramount, especially in early recovery. Being able to open up and have a healthy and honest conversation with another person will reap huge rewards in ones recovery.
Action
Action is what recovery is all about. Recovery is a lot of work and involves a lifetime of effort and attention to every aspect of one's life. Personal growth will only come from extensive work and self-examination. There is nothing easy about recovery and there are no shortcuts. Without action, long-term and sustainable abstinence is highly unlikely. As the addiction is nothing more than a means to cope with underlying issues, simply quitting the addiction without any work leaves these issues undisturbed and remaining. Until these demons are exposed and dealt with, recovery will be short lived, a struggle and most likely frustrating.
Any individual that has completely embraced all five of these attributes in their daily lives will have a strong recovery program and high likelihood of maintaining abstinence. Diligence to ensure inclusion of all five is of these is of the utmost importance. Leaving out any one of these can lead to the quick and complete erosion of any recovery program.
