Celebrating Recovery from Drug Addiction

I admire people who lose weight and keep it off. I respect people who train for and run marathons. I celebrate cancer survivors. It takes great discipline to achieve these goals. It is time that we celebrate the achievement of people who recover from drug addiction.

It is no small feat to achieve long term drug abstinence. People who have chronically abused substances have to overcome physical and/or psychological dependence. They have to avoid people, places and things associated with drugs. They have to learn stress coping skills. They have to develop new interests, friendships and hobbies. It is an enormous task. They deserve praise.

I asked four people if they are proud of their recovery. Their responses follow.

“I’m a person in long term recovery. I’ve been living in recovery a little over four years from pain killers, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, acid, and mushrooms. For me, that means I am free. Free to be the person I want to be. It means that I finally found life. I didn’t live until recovery started. Also, it means I can truly be happy. Before recovery I didn’t know what happiness really was. My recovery has allowed me to find who I really am inside. It’s allowed me to be a mother, daughter, and a friend – things I couldn’t be while in active addiction. It’s allowed me to accept even the hard things in life without using. Dreams really do come true. I’m proud of my recovery.”

“I’m a person in long term recovery. For me that means I have been clean from pain killers for two whole years. My recovery has allowed me to spend more time with family and go places with my kids. I have the energy to keep up with them. I’m proud of my recovery.”

“I’m a person in long term recovery. I have been clean from heroin for a year and a half. For me that means I am proud of myself and am able to look in the mirror and not want death to take me. My recovery has allowed me to get my life back. Due to addiction I had lost my love relationship, my daughter, my home, my car, my job, my pride. Now that I am in recovery I am able to get up and go to work every day and manage my life. But it also means that I would like the world to accept me and others like me. I’m proud of my recovery.”

“I am a person in long term recovery. For me that means I can be a good father, hold my head up and be proud that I can live in society as a normal person. It has allowed me to work every day and keep a job. My recovery has allowed me to become trustworthy, dependable, and less angry. I’m not just an addict. I am a person who has feelings. I care about people. I am proud of my recovery from pain pills, xanax, valium, cocaine, pot, alcohol, alcohol, acid and ecstacy. I have been drug free for twelve years.”

Good job!