Addiction Thinking, Recovery Thinking

Addiction thinking might seem insane to others, but to the alcoholic or drug addict it makes sense. The addicted person creates an alternate reality to make sense of his/her world, and to counter what’s perceived as an attack from others who’re pleading or demanding the person give up the alcohol or some other drug.

It’s what the addict continues telling herself that’s so damaging. Addiction thinking says I can’t live without alcohol or drugs — drinking makes me more sociable — I have to drink with work associates to advance my career — I drink because my spouse nags me — I can quit if I want to — Drinking helps me deal with anxiety — I drink because I’m depressed. It goes on and on. This is an excerpt from Finding a Purpose in the Pain – A Doctor’s Approach to Addiction Recovery and Healing – by James L. Fenley, Jr., MD; Published by Central Recovery Press (CRP:

The natural inclination with addictive thinking is to repeat the same act over and over and over again. Also inherent in addictive thinking is the belief that the addict can manage his or her addictive behavior. For example, the alcoholic in denial believes over and over, “This time when I drink, it will feel just as good as it once did and won’t cause any problems.” The power of denial is amazing.

Another part of addictive thinking is a need for problems. As long as an addict has a problem, he or she has a reason to use. Of course, addicts are unaware of this need because of denial, but they always seem to be in conflict with something or somebody. Just because an addict enters some form of treatment and verbalizes that he or she is an addict does not mean it is an end to addictive thinking. In early recovery, even the most dedicated person will go in and out of addictive thinking on a daily basis. That is why it is so important for the addict in early recovery to attend daily recovery meetings, get a sponsor, and read recovery-approved literature. The more that a person hears, sees, and models recovery-oriented thinking and behavior, the less denial—and with that, addictive thinking—is likely to play a role in his or her life.

Recovery thinking is acceptance of reality. When a person thinks clearly in recovery, they aren’t trying to make reality better than it is or worse than it is — they’re accepting reality as it is. The person in recovery accepts where they are in life, then starts from that point putting things back together, making amends where possible and practicing principles of good living in all their affairs. Recovery thinking says that I am responsible, but I don’t have to do it alone — I reach out for help and learn from others in recovery — I might make mistakes but I can correct these mistakes as they happen so that nothing builds up into a blow-up — I understand that recovery is a long term process and I have to take it one day at a time — I understand that others might not trust me in the beginning and that I have to learn to trust myself. Recovery thinking is healthy — addiction thinking is destructive.