What is Recovery?

WHAT IS RECOVERY?

Depends who you ask.

There are as many answers to that as there are people in it. At last count I read that there were 13 million people "in recovery", but, I have no idea how they figured out that number or where I even read it a few years ago.

What amazes me about all the people (and clients) that have shared their recovery with me, it still amazes me how some recovery 'groups' are likened to religion - that theirs is the only one that works and none of the other ones are real.

We have all learned alot over the last 20 years.

WHAT TYPES OF RECOVERY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

There is recovery from an accident, recovery from drugs & alcohol, recovery from child abuse, recovery from rape, recovery from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), there's recovery and rehab, recovery from illness, recovery from losing a loved one, etc.

WHAT TYPES OF RECOVERY GROUPS ARE THERE?

12 Step Anonymous Groups refers to itself as a Recovery Program for addictions.

A very new movement that is full of empowering tools calls itself S.M.A.R.T. Recovery or Self-Management And Recovery Training. An alternative or in addition to 12 Step.

Rational Recovery is another group that says it is an alternative to 12 step.

Narc-anon is another. (NOT to be confused with Nar-Anon which is 12 step).

There's that new book on TV that claims to cure alcholism and addiction. Has anyone bought that? I wonder if that works.

There are other types of recovery out there, like Caregivers Support Groups and N.A.M.I. the National Alliance of Mental Illness. They have all sorts of free recovery tools right on their websites.

There are all sorts of community support websites out there, I've been compliling a list I can't even keep track of anymore. As with anything you want to learn more about, google* it or go to Wikipedia* or Bling it.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF RECOVERY GROUPS?

Examples of 12 Step Anonymous Support Groups are:
Alcohol Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Overeaters Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous

Mental Health Recovery for depression, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders are using Tools such as the W.R.A.P. that is helping thousands recover from these and more serious conditions of all types.

So guess which Recovery this blog is talking about?

All of the above.

Recovery + Tapping = Hope and Relief.

To Your Recovery!
J.P. Bailey, MA