Recovery is a self-focused program. Though we felt like we were living our lives in selfishness by continuously feeding an addiction without consideration toward negative consequence on ourselves or others, our recovery has to be focused on ourselves. Men who have walked the path of recovery before us have found over and over again that recovery cannot be lived for other people, that our getting and staying sober has to be dependent upon our commitment to ourselves.
Yet, at the same time, we have to be dedicated to the betterment of others and the betterment of the way we relate to others. We don’t get sober to isolate completely and live our lives in self-devotion. We get sober to be able to live in connection with all of life and all of life’s people in healthy ways. Getting sober through treatment with a group of men helps us to learn how to accept, grow close to, and live in responsibility to others. In sort of an altruistic way, we come to realize that our recovery is so much bigger than ourselves. By taking responsibility for ourselves and our own lives, we, in a way, take responsibility for other men who are in recover. Our ability to recover and live a life of abstinence produces a quantum ripple effect for men all around the world. The way we live our life serves as a demonstration to others, inspiring them to make the changes in their own lives which would benefit them, as well as benefit others.
How we live in recovery defines our responsibility to ourselves as well as others through the small moments and the big moments. For example, our responsibility to ourselves in recovery can include taking care of our chores in our sober living. However, if our chore is to clean a common space like the living room or the kitchen, our responsibility to ourselves has now become a responsibility to others- it is their kitchen and their living room as well.
The greater picture of recovery brings more meaning to the simple task of getting sober. What we’re getting ourselves into when we choose sobriety is bigger than we can imagine. We aren’t just changing our own world, we’re changing the world of others, too.
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
