PERSONAL VIEWS ON RECOVERY

PERSONAL VIEWS ON RECOVERY Personal Views Page

(This page will carry from time to time the personal views of some of our members on issues which they believe are important in the recovery process. Our present policy is that these authors will remain anonymous and will be limited to members of the Washington, D.C. Area SMART groups. They do not necessarily reflect positions either of the Washington, D.C. Area SMART groups, nor its National Headquarters. Comments are welcomed.)

A complete list of all previous essays is given at the bottom of this page.

Recovery: Is It Brain Surgery or Bicycle Riding?

I had a recent discussion with long-time personal friends with no experience of addiction on the role of free will, willpower, self-help, etc. in recovery. It inspires me to ask a basic question, the one in fact newcomers frequently focus on: Is recovery from addiction something basically difficult and complicated (the two are not necessarily the same thing) or is it something actually pretty easy and simple (again, not necessarily the same thing)?

I have a split personality on this question. On the one hand, I certainly believe that the "Just Say No!" approach, or RR's current line stressing only Addictive Voice training and no meetings, which suggests it is pretty easy, is quite wrong. And I also don't buy the idea that recovery is "a simple program for complicated people," one of AA's favorite slogans. Each person needs to spend considerable time and effort to figure out his or her own unique and path to satisfaction in life without using drugs or alcohol. This is something outsiders need to do too, just without the complicating problem of addiction.

So I find myself occasionally saying to people in our groups something like, "Look, if you wanted to do brain surgery, you wouldn't just go out start doing it and expecting success. You know that you would have to train yourself before you could do it. Don't think just wanting to stop drinking/drugging is all you need. First you have to know yourself and your needs. Then you have to find out how to achieve self-expression without drugs or alcohol. Then you need to practice, practice, practice."

I'm saying here, certainly, that willpower alone isn't enough. But am I really saying that it's difficult? If I am, maybe I'm discouraging people who might otherwise be interested in our approach and, maybe worse, telling others that if they don't succeed, that's alright because it is so complex that it is difficult to learn. I don't want to convey either of these messages. In fact, after a while, it becomes second nature and it is easy.

So sometimes I say, "Recovery is like riding a bicycle. It is easy, and all you need is the desire to learn and some practice so you learn how to do it yourself. Anyone can do it." This, I think, is actually the more common view of recovery from addiction that most people hold. "People," meaning most new members of our groups, as well as outsiders like my friends with no experience, instinctively believe that recovery is something they ought to be able to achieve with very little effort. For those wishing to quit, lacking immediate gratification, they quickly become frustrated when they relapse, or even just have continuing urges to use.

They don't want to hear (and certainly don't agree with) anything that smacks of suggesting we are talking of something very complicated, intricate, and difficult to explain, let alone provide answers. If you counter it with the complicated view expressed earlier, (1) you may lose much of your audience (i.e., attendance at meetings in the future), who think you're over-complicating the issue and hiding behind professional nuances and (2) you know yourself of some people who have indeed recovered simply by announcing to the world that they were quitting and did so.

My view is that it can be either difficult or easy, and it can be complicated or simple, depending upon the person involved. For some people a simple resolution to quit may be the turning point. Others like me may have to trace a much more convoluted path. Also, there are some peculiar combinations like "easy, but complicated," or "difficult, but basically pretty simple" which have some appeal when I think of particular people. Each of us needs to trace his or her particular path.

But the main and overwhelming point is simply this: Whether it is "easy" or "difficult," "complicated" or "simple," it requires WORK---and a lot of it!

This is Essay No. 15, issued October, 2000.

Previous Essays

July, 2000--Moderation or Abstinence for Problem Drinkers?

April, 2000--New Booklet on Research-Based Treatment

February, 2000--How Do We Stop Drinking: A Group Discussion

December, 1999--The Myth of "Self-Esteem" and Recovery

September, 1999--Religion and Recovery

July, 1999--Can People Who Are Not Committed to Abstinence Attend SMART Meetings?

March, 1999--Recovery Is Not a Four-Day Course in Rational Recovery

January, 1999--SMART Recovery in a Nutshell

November, 1998--Other Roads to Recovery

September, 1998--How I Re-Thought My Beliefs on My "Alcoholism"

July, 1998--Why Do People Join SMART Recovery?

May, 1998--A Critique of PBS' Bill Moyers on Addiction

March, 1998--Should People With Gambling or Overeating Disorders Be Welcome At SMART Meetings?

January, 1998--Differences Between SMART and AA

November, 1997--Fifty Ways to Recover

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