AA and Recovery Management

Understanding recovery management is a critical component of addiction treatment. Too many people who receive treatment for alcoholism or some other drug addiction believe they are “well” after 4 to 8 weeks of abstinence — they’ve gained insight about themselves and their addiction and they will take it from there, thank you.

Actually, treatment is just the beginning. Recovery from the chronic brain disease of addiction is an ongoing process. Recovery management means that the recovering addict takes a long term view of recovery. That initial feel-good experience after the first month or so has been called a “pink-cloud experience”. After years of doing damage to the brain and body, the person in early recovery starts eating better, sleeping better, taking care of themselves, and this produces a good over-all feeling that’s often mistaken for full recovery.

This pink-cloud experience doesn’t last. The psychological and spiritual damage done by years of addiction lingers even if the body begins to feel better. It takes a long time practicing recovery management before a person in recovery actually heals all the damage. The initial feeling that the addiction problem is under control is much like the person who goes on a crash diet and loses a few pounds then thinks they have the eating problem under control — the confidence fades when the going gets tough and the person slides back into old behavior and old ways of thinking.

Most people, if they’re not actively managing their recovery, slide back into what’s comfortable, because major change is difficult. This concept is also similar to an organization that calls in consultants to make changes in the organization to improve quality and outcomes — everyone starts out practicing the new ideas, but it’s difficult and uncomfortable, so they begin sliding back into old ways of doing things. It happens all the time. For the addict, though, sliding back means relapse, and relapse can cause a lot of damage — relapse can be fatal. With addiction, the active addict is always at high risk of premature death, so recovery management is very important.

This is why in treatment it’s suggested to a person in recovery that they attend a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous. AA and recovery management go hand in hand, although recovery management is also about exercise, nutrition, improving relationships, seeing a physician who understands recovery, etc. However, being around other people who have the same problem and are doing something about it for the long term reinforces the idea of recovery and change. When the going gets tough the group members can help a person through a hard time. Trying to make major changes alone is difficult, and, although family and friends may be supportive,  most people who haven’t gone through addiction really don’t understand addiction and recovery in a personal way and what it takes to manage the nuances of recovery. If AA is not right for person, there are other support groups that are effective. The person in recovery, as a part of recovery management, has to take responsibility for finding the right ongoing support and then utilizing that support.