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Addiction is a complicated disease that doesn’t lend itself to one, all-encompassing recovery path. Wondering how long that someone will need before they are “sober” is normal, but the answer will vary from person to person. No two cases will be the same, and there can be any number of different external factors involved, such as culture, daily stresses, or access to support systems. Recovery is also a lifelong battle, and putting a timer on healing is disingenuous to the process as a whole. Instead, somebody can better define recovery by measuring one’s goals and success, coupled with their increasing set of skills to cope with difficult stressors. Recovery isn’t a binary, nor is there a set time that someone needs before they are healed. It is a lifelong process, and recovery from addiction is better thought of as one’s ability to use their practical skills to accomplish their own goals in a sober life.
Dangers of Rushing in Recovery
Trying to put a time limit on recovery can be more of a detriment than a goal. Time can be a limitation on oneself, and it can be easy to get lost in one’s stress of trying to address all of the elements in recovery at once. Realistically, there isn’t enough energy to deal with the scope of these unfair expectations. Learning new coping strategies and grounding techniques requires a lot of time to practice, and taking on more than one can handle at a time can compromise the effectiveness of any strategy. Coupled with the new stressors that someone may face through each step of recovery, rushing through techniques can ultimately leave someone ill-equipped to deal with addiction recovery’s nuanced nature.
Rushing recovery can also cause someone to measure their success in binary terms. As a result, someone could continuously be looking at a “deadline” for their sobriety. Instead of looking at all of the ways they have made progress in their recovery, they may see only a wall of difficulties not yet addressed. This approach can unfairly devalue the progress that someone has made while instilling anxieties around a time limit in recovery. Maintaining motivation and positivity through the recovery process requires someone to take the time to celebrate their accomplishments and continuously adjust where they want to go next.
Defining Sobriety
Sobriety can mean different things to each person. While it can be defined as the lack of an addictive substance in one’s body, sobriety is also a lifestyle type. As someone sets their goals for recovery, each person needs to explore what sobriety means to them personally. For some, it can mean creating a daily, healthy lifestyle full of self-betterment and an overall positive self-image that is accomplished due to abstaining from drugs or alcohol. Others may have professional components that they want to achieve in their sobriety, coupled with a plethora of stress-management techniques. Each person’s definition will be different, but setting goals that help each person reach their definition of sobriety is the most impactful way to measure one’s success during their time in a recovery program.
Creating a Timeline, Not a Time Limit
Having goals set based on accomplishments rather than something to be accomplished within a certain amount of time helps each person take recovery at their rate. Setting goals from the first day of one’s recovery journey can help someone contextualize their success. Learning essential life skills, maintaining a clean living space, or maintaining daily hygiene can all be starting points on their way to attaining their version of sobriety. Documenting these successes and looking back on the objective accomplishments that someone has made during their time can frame recovery as a positive, ongoing process rather than a hurdle that needs to be overcome. Learning these skills will take a different amount of time for each person, depending on their goals. However, the successes measured by the process are worth all the same.
As someone reaches the goals set for themselves in recovery, it can become easier to measure oneself based on accomplishments rather than time in recovery. This allows someone to take their time to genuinely ask themselves who they want to be, what sobriety means to them in their lives, and how they want to take the next step on their journey. Recovery doesn’t have an endpoint, even if a program lasts for a limited time. Establishing skills and goals at these programs empowers each person to continue to pursue their own transformed future.
Recovery is a lifelong process with no time limit. Your recovery from addiction will be a personal battle, but that doesn’t mean you have to tackle it alone. At START UP RECOVERY, professionals, mentors, and peers all work with you to better understand your addiction and develop a plan pertaining to your unique situation. By finding personalized practices for your stay, backed by consistent, practical applied therapies and life skills, your stay can focus on your strengths in recovery while also providing the comfort you need to address your vulnerabilities. Our luxurious atmosphere focused on community, support, and accountability can give each person the safety net they need with a group of understanding, like-minded people to share in your experience and success. For more information on the various ways we can personalize a stay for you, or to speak to a caring, trained staff member about your situation, call us today at 310-773-3809