Once you've recognized that you have a problem, it's time to seek treatment for addiction. Treatment Can Help You During Your Recovery. If you're not sure if you have a substance use disorder, you can have an evaluation at a treatment center. The main criterion for a successful First Step is a person's acceptance that they, in fact, have the disease of addiction.
A person should not consider himself weak or incapable when he admits his impotence, and he still doesn't have to do anything about his addiction. The first step is simply asking a person to recognize that they have the disease of addiction, and life is more difficult because of that. The first step is important in recovery because it is the completely necessary step to start the recovery journey. Until someone can admit that they have become powerless in the face of their alcoholism, or any other problem they face in their life, they cannot be empowered by recovery.
Recovering does not mean suddenly gaining power over alcohol and being able to drink normally. Recovery means regaining power over life, learning to make it manageable, and never having to drink again. Unless someone has stopped drinking long enough to get to the first step, they can't realize that they should confess that they can't control their drinking or their lives. Step 1 is all about letting go.
You admit that you have a problem and start looking for help. It's not easy, but admitting impotence allows you to break the cycle of addiction you've been trapped in. Alcoholics Anonymous believes that admitting that you can't control your alcohol use is a necessary first step on the road to recovery. What will my friends and family think? Not feeling strong enough to clean and stay clean.
Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross created the stages of change or transtheoretical model in 1983 to help people quit smoking. It was then updated in 1992, when it began to be used in clinical settings for a variety of behaviors. When studying various treatment plans for mental health disorders and substance abuse, Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross noticed patterns that occur as people progress through major behavior change. Someone may remain at this stage due to lack of information about addictive behaviors.
Another reason we see people getting stuck in the pre-contemplation stage is disappointment with multiple failed recovery attempts and treatment options. Most people in precontemplation feel that recovery is simply not possible for them. The truth is that anyone can recover from any stage. Aftercare helps you stay on track and continue to practice what you learned during rehabilitation.
Whether it's individual therapy, support groups, 12-step meetings, or an outpatient treatment program, we recommend staying in some type of aftercare for at least one to two years after completing a rehabilitation program. During Step 12, people are often asked to share their stories, testimonies, and struggles with others to give them hope and encouragement. Step 10 involves personal reflections and a kind of timely review to keep yourself emotionally balanced. Although the 12 steps are based on spiritual principles, many non-religious people have found the program immensely useful.
The first step is not to admit the problem alone, it is to admit that you are powerless in the face of your addiction and that you can no longer manage your lives. This last step is the service aspect, and it asks people to give back others who are also struggling with addiction. In Step 4 of the 12 Steps to Sobriety, people are asked to be thorough and honest in their personal inventory, to write down anything they can think of, and then to explore the effects and details of each incident. With Step 9, people apologize for actions they took under the influence of drugs or alcohol or for the damage their addiction has caused.
The purpose of Step 8 is to allow one to free oneself from past resentments and learn to develop more positive relationships. Another reason that the first step of recovering from addiction is so difficult is because the addict knows that their life is about to change dramatically. During Step 5, people often feel humiliated and have the feeling that they have been emotionally cleansed. Repeating or returning to a previous step is not a failure or a weakness; it is a new commitment to yourself and to your recovery.
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