The author and playwright Oscar Wilde was known for creating infuriatingly witty banter in his dialogues. In his life outside of his writing, Wilde was known to speak in similar semantics. One of his more famous quotes is “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” Moderating moderation seems redundant and absurd, but the writer was onto something that men in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction can identify with. Everything in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is moderation and even the constant act of moderating needs to be moderated. Moderating moderation in recovery doesn’t mean taking a break from abstinence and dipping back into drinking and using, as if to say not moderating at all is a means of moderating moderation. Moderation for men in recovery is not about moderating drug and alcohol use. Abstinence is the best proven way to maintain sobriety and avoid a relapse into full addiction. Moderation for men in recovery is really about moderating thoughts, feelings, intentions, and behaviors. As men learn in treatment, the actual drinking and using part of drinking and using is a climactic moment caused by a series of life events, personality traits, poor decision making, compulsion, physical craving, and much more. By practicing moderation in early recovery, men can tune into their mind as well as their body and make effective decisions about how to handle their experiences both internal and external.

Tuning in and being aware of thoughts and feelings can be a challenge when the brain is buzzing with thoughts all day long and the body is going through withdrawal symptoms, changes, or cravings. Mindfulness is one of the best tools in existence for tuning into the self and developing a greater awareness. The very foundation of mindfulness is awareness by way of noticing and paying attention. Mindfulness helps us become more in connection with our mind without being consumed by our mind and the same goes for our relationship with our body. Becoming more aware of our physical and mental state helps us to detect changes in our mood, thoughts, or physical feelings ahead of time before they might become overwhelming and compel us to make irrational decisions. By moderating our internal experience, we can moderate our external experience and build a greater foundation of harmony for our recovery.

Tree House Recovery of Orange County, California is a premier men’s addiction treatment facility that uses eight different modalities to help our men become the best versions of themselves they can be. We teach our men that every day of their journey is something to celebrate, and that recovery isn’t a sprint– it’s a marathon. By showing our men how to celebrate each day’s victories, we show them that self love isn’t about what we have or haven’t done. It’s about getting a little closer to where we want to be. To get started with Tree House Recovery, call us today at (503) 850-2474