There is a fun saying that is often used in recovery meetings. It goes, “When you first get sober you get your ‘marbles’ back, when you stay sober you learn how to use them.” While a bit cheeky, this is emblematic of what recovering good judgment through addiction treatment is all about.
Good Judgment: An Early Focus on “One Day at a Time”
Many people enter treatment with their eyes already set on the future. While it is good to have goals in recovery, it is also important to take the time to recover the right way.
This is why the concept of “one day at a time” can be so essential. It reminds us that all we really have is the present moment and what positive action can we take in this present moment. One day at a time allows us to slowly build our good judgment back until it can be more firmly cemented for the long term.
Good Judgment: A Focus on Long-Term Recovery
It is important to remember that recovery is a lifelong process. Recovery should not be looked at as a “one-and-done” affair. This is because recovery is about much more than simply putting down the drink or the drug. That is what many people in recovery meetings remind us of: “alcohol and/or substances are but mere symptoms of greater issues.”
Recovery is all about experiencing a “psychic change” of body, mind, and spirit. When this happens, life can truly begin to open up to new experiences and opportunities. By learning to make good judgments in treatment, this new life can continue to expand as much as we wish.
Recovering Good Judgment Through Addiction Treatment
So, how do we accomplish this essential good judgment? Perhaps the best way to do this is to take the advice of both our recovery professionals and our recovery peers. These two groups of people are going to have unique offerings that can help us live the lives that we have always desired and deserved.
For example, a psychotherapist who offers cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is going to show us how our underlying cognitions (thoughts) and emotions (feelings) are the actual causes of our negative behaviors and actions. These are underlying issues that cause us to see ourselves and the world around us in a negative light and make poor decisions. When we do the work in CBT, we can begin to change these views and ultimately positively change how we make our decisions in life.
Working with our recovery peers helps to keep us accountable for our recovery programs. This means keeping us accountable for the choices that we promised ourselves that we would make. Essentially, they can help keep us on the “straight and narrow” and make good, healthy decisions. Not to mention that working with others is also one of the best ways to avoid relapse, which is much more common than we’d like to think. According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment.”
Maintaining Good Judgment in the Long Term
Long-term recovery is all about taking the next right action. To do this, one must remain vigilant to their set recovery plan. It can be very easy to become complacent in recovery, which is very dangerous (as the previous relapse statistic points out).
One way to maintain good judgment in long-term recovery is to stay connected. As is often said in 12-Step recovery, “Stay in the middle of the herd.” This includes staying connected with our therapy, with an alumni group from our recovery center, and with people who also have healthy outlooks in recovery
Staying connected also means plugging in and getting involved. It is one thing to simply attend recovery meetings, but it is another altogether to become engaged. This means volunteering, reaching out to “newcomers” in recovery, and giving back to the recovery community that has already given so much to us. Now, this is truly emblematic of good decision-making in recovery.
A Focus on Long-Term Success and Wellness at Rancho Recovery
It is important to remember that no two recovery journeys are going to be the same. Some people will have a very linear journey with few bumps in the road, while others will veer off from time to time. The key is to remember that we are all in this together.
Here at Rancho Recovery, we know that recovery is always about the journey, never the destination. However, the most important part of that recovery journey is starting, and that’s one of the best decisions that we can ever make.
Addiction greatly impacts how an individual thinks and acts and causes them to make poor decisions that negatively affect themselves and those they love. This poor decision-making can also continue while someone is still in recovery. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling to make good judgments in recovery, we can help get you on the right track today. You don’t have to go through this alone. Recovery is possible, and we can show you how. For more information on how rehab at Rancho Recovery can help you or your loved one improve your decision-making and enhance both your personal and professional life, please reach out to us today at (877) 484-1447.