About the power of hope
I am reposting an article that was sent to me by a colleague involved with FAVOR (Faces & Voices of Recovery - check them out - FAVOR National). I felt compelled to share it because it IS the truth that people have to have hope. I had to have hope. I still do. If addiction was hopeless, then I wouldn't be here. There is a quote that says "we...are 100 men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body..." When you are in the thick of it, alcoholism & addiction are seemingly hopeless. You think you are the only one who feels the way you do, who has done the things you have done. You can only see life through the pinhole perspective created by the resentment, fear and loneliness that are key elements of the disease. But it is not hopeless.
I am grateful for the hope of others. The fact that they believed I could get and stay sober helped give me hope until I could find a version of my own. And today, sharing the truth of my life - that life sober is still life - with all of it's ups and downs - but instead of being driven by fear, resentment and lonliness, I am free of those things, and therefore driven by a sense of hope, faith, and purpose. Because of that I get the gift of life, in all of it's heartaches and joys. I get the opportunity to really LIVE...
There are so many tragic stories in the field of addiction, and no shortage of onlookers who are drawn to the shock and awe of addicts’ war stories. It’s easy to lose sight of the brighter side of the story: Treatment works and people do recover.
This was the message of a survey released last week by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), which found that more than 23 million people (10% of adults) in the U.S. have recovered from drug and alcohol problems.
This is a part of the story that is not told enough. If told more often, perhaps we would see more addicts moving beyond the shame and stigma of addiction, getting help, and sharing their success stories. Just as importantly, it would remind the 23 million Americans who have yet to find recovery that there is hope.
Why Hope Matters
Hope matters in addiction recovery because put simply, without hope nothing changes. Few people set goals or pursue them if there is no hope of achieving them. Few people embark on a difficult task if there is no hope of completing it, or at least reaching important milestones along the way. Those who cannot envision a future that is brighter than the present may fall further into drug use, depression or worse, give up on life altogether.
There are many ways to build hope. For some, it comes from a connection with a higher power or developing a sense of purpose. Others rely on their family and friends to have hope until they find it for themselves. By sharing the message that recovery can be a reality for people in the grip of addiction, we offer support and encouragement to those who need it most. Hope inspires the realization that “Other people can do this, and so can I.” And that is the beginning of addiction recovery.
Fighting Stigma with Awareness
Some people argue that calling addiction a brain disease has done little to reduce stigma. But this doesn’t mean we should stop defining addiction in this way – it means we need to call greater attention to the fact that addiction is a treatable disease that has been managed by millions of people.
The evidence being gathered by OASAS and other organizations helps garner this type of positive attention. The following additional survey findings, if supported by further research, may point us in the direction of improved outreach to populations that are currently underserved in addiction treatment:
• There are more men in recovery than women (12% vs. 7%).
• There are fewer young adults (18 to 34) and older adults (55 and up) in recovery than middle-age adults (35 to 44).
• The South and Northeast have a lower prevalence of adults in recovery (7% and 9%, respectively) than the West and Midwest (11% and 14%, respectively).
• Parents and non-parents are equally likely to be in recovery.
We’ve made significant strides in understanding the disease of addiction, but there is more progress to be made. We are seeing the beginnings of a movement to understand recovery and bring the type of treatment that we know works to the people still struggling with this disease.
While this may seem un-newsworthy and insignificant to some, to me this is a message that cannot be repeated enough: There is life after addiction, and it’s one that is well worth living.
David Sack, M.D., is board certified in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry. As CEO of Elements Behavioral Health he oversees drug rehab centers as well as trauma treatment, eating disorder treatment, and sex addiction treatment programs as well as a specialized Christian drug rehab program. You can follow Dr. Sack on Twitter at www.twitter.com/drdavidsac
I am grateful for the hope of others. The fact that they believed I could get and stay sober helped give me hope until I could find a version of my own. And today, sharing the truth of my life - that life sober is still life - with all of it's ups and downs - but instead of being driven by fear, resentment and lonliness, I am free of those things, and therefore driven by a sense of hope, faith, and purpose. Because of that I get the gift of life, in all of it's heartaches and joys. I get the opportunity to really LIVE...
A Message That Can’t Be Repeated Enough: People Do Recover From Addiction
By David Sack, M.D.
This was the message of a survey released last week by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), which found that more than 23 million people (10% of adults) in the U.S. have recovered from drug and alcohol problems.
This is a part of the story that is not told enough. If told more often, perhaps we would see more addicts moving beyond the shame and stigma of addiction, getting help, and sharing their success stories. Just as importantly, it would remind the 23 million Americans who have yet to find recovery that there is hope.
Why Hope Matters
Hope matters in addiction recovery because put simply, without hope nothing changes. Few people set goals or pursue them if there is no hope of achieving them. Few people embark on a difficult task if there is no hope of completing it, or at least reaching important milestones along the way. Those who cannot envision a future that is brighter than the present may fall further into drug use, depression or worse, give up on life altogether.
There are many ways to build hope. For some, it comes from a connection with a higher power or developing a sense of purpose. Others rely on their family and friends to have hope until they find it for themselves. By sharing the message that recovery can be a reality for people in the grip of addiction, we offer support and encouragement to those who need it most. Hope inspires the realization that “Other people can do this, and so can I.” And that is the beginning of addiction recovery.
Fighting Stigma with Awareness
Some people argue that calling addiction a brain disease has done little to reduce stigma. But this doesn’t mean we should stop defining addiction in this way – it means we need to call greater attention to the fact that addiction is a treatable disease that has been managed by millions of people.
The evidence being gathered by OASAS and other organizations helps garner this type of positive attention. The following additional survey findings, if supported by further research, may point us in the direction of improved outreach to populations that are currently underserved in addiction treatment:
• There are more men in recovery than women (12% vs. 7%).
• There are fewer young adults (18 to 34) and older adults (55 and up) in recovery than middle-age adults (35 to 44).
• The South and Northeast have a lower prevalence of adults in recovery (7% and 9%, respectively) than the West and Midwest (11% and 14%, respectively).
• Parents and non-parents are equally likely to be in recovery.
We’ve made significant strides in understanding the disease of addiction, but there is more progress to be made. We are seeing the beginnings of a movement to understand recovery and bring the type of treatment that we know works to the people still struggling with this disease.
While this may seem un-newsworthy and insignificant to some, to me this is a message that cannot be repeated enough: There is life after addiction, and it’s one that is well worth living.
David Sack, M.D., is board certified in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry. As CEO of Elements Behavioral Health he oversees drug rehab centers as well as trauma treatment, eating disorder treatment, and sex addiction treatment programs as well as a specialized Christian drug rehab program. You can follow Dr. Sack on Twitter at www.twitter.com/drdavidsac
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