Tommy Recovery Coaching

Strategies for Navigating Addiction Recovery

Despite having been deeply immersed in broadcasting and the literary circles of London for more than a decade, Octavia Bright didn’t publish her first book until June 2023, and she chose to make it an addiction memoir. In Ragged Grace, the British writer explains how she spent seven years drinking her way through a rigorous post-graduate program. She was headed down a self-destructive path until her downward spiral was interrupted by her father’s diagnosis of severe Alzheimer’s disease. Bright’s recovery journey began with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but she didn’t get traction until she realized anxiety and depression were the root causes of her addiction. This was when Bright accepted that the most effective way she could deal with addiction involved mental health treatment, counseling, and guidance.

Viewing Addiction as a Chronic Disease

Even though most alcoholics and drug addicts successfully recover on their own without medical treatment, this doesn’t mean they’ll be free from addiction for the rest of their lives. Addiction can happen to anyone, but it’s rarely a condition that arises suddenly. You gradually fall into addiction. Once you develop dreadful cravings or strong compulsions, addiction will get chronically worse unless it’s treated with a recovery program. From a medical standpoint, there’s no real cure for addiction, but it’s possible to recover and live a life of sobriety.

Understanding that Dealing with Addiction Means Recovering from It

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery. What works for you may not work for others, but there’s an axiom in the recovery community about dealing with addiction with step-by-step approaches. This is the basis for the “one day at a time” mantra of AA programs. You start by going one day without using drugs or alcohol and gradually build up from there. As long as you continue doing this, you’re effectively dealing with addiction. This may sound simple, but it isn’t the reality for many patients.

Making Recovery Effective with Professional Help

Octavia Bright was able to achieve sobriety and recover from alcoholism once she started going through therapy and counseling to treat her depression and anxiety. She found this to be the most effective way to deal with alcoholism. Other patients find their newfound sobriety to be fragile and constantly threatened by the specter of relapse. This is when the services of sober lifestyle coaches, such as those who offer Solana Beach recovery coaching, are often sought. Professional sober living coaches help their clients cope with the practical realities of going back to normal. In other words, they provide hands-on assistance to help them reasonably and effectively deal with addiction.

Dealing with Guilt Associated with Addiction

Guilt is a common emotion for people in recovery. Similar to substance use disorder, guilt dwells on a spectrum. It can range from slight to mild and from severe to dangerous. For many alcoholics and addicts, guilt is the most devastating issue they have to deal with, and it can derail a recovery journey. 

Sober lifestyle coaches are skilled at spotting pathological remorse through intuition and evaluation. When they see it’s an obstacle to recovery, they’ll make it a priority to help clients deal with guilt until they can focus on the present and on being kind to themselves. You have to learn from your mistakes and learn to let go before you can achieve recovery. If you can effectively deal with guilt, your journey to recovery will be smoother.

For strength-based support with addiction recovery, Solana Beach residents can rely on the trained recovery coaches at Sober Lifestyle Coaching. Our goal is to offer our clients maximum recovery support, especially in the first fragile days or weeks of early recovery. From helping you transition back into your home and create a healthy, sober living space to traveling with you to court cases or business events, we’ll be with you every step of the way. If you’re looking for extra addiction recovery support so you don’t risk relapse when you head into the danger zones, we’ll work with you to put together a game plan to keep you safe and sober as you accomplish your goals. Give us a call today at (760) 300-8338.