Aside from being a highly acclaimed novella by Franz Kafka, metamorphosis is also a word that holds particular significance for people transforming their lives via programs of addiction recovery. A definition of the noun states a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into an entirely different one, by natural or supernatural means. If that doesn’t nicely sum up sobriety, and the effect it can have on an individual’s life, then what does?
If you read the novel in school or for leisure, you probably remember that at its heart the story is about a man’s struggle for existence. If you are in recovery, you don’t have to read Kafka’s works to understand how arduous altering a single solitary thing in one’s life can be, let alone changing everything. Recovery demands a paradigm shift in thinking, or to steal a line from an even more relevant book, donning “A New Pair of Glasses.” Committing oneself to a program of long-term sobriety gives people a different perception; when the fog of alcohol and drugs lifts, you see things with clarity. When you work a program, it can completely alter your perspective, attitude, and it allows for continual growth in positive directions. A true metamorphosis, in every sense of the word!
With active drug and alcohol use behind us, we choose engagement over isolation. When Self is no longer harboring illusions of total control, one can develop a relationship with something higher. And, that something – while different for each of us – guides us both inside and out toward making the next right decision. In recovery, people have the tools to face their problems with a positive attitude; rather than recoiling from life’s curveballs, we take action. Positive Attitude Changes Everything!
Starting Over In Recovery
Nobody can deny that changing the people, places, and things in life is a difficult task. Even more challenging, is that individuals in recovery also have to change how they look at just about everything. Gone are the days of feeling sorry for one’s self; it is no longer OK to hold other people responsible for how life is today. Recovery teaches us that we have to take responsibility for our decisions and be accountable for the outcome of our choices. Equally vital, placing emphasis on staying accountable to others.
For many people new to working a program, there comes the realization that they cannot take this journey alone—just one of many critical epiphanies. When the seed of recovery is germinating, individuals have the awareness that the way life was before is no longer tenable. One must be present today, always making an effort to connect with men and women in their support network. Such people have to strive to be of service to others; individual sobriety is not mutually exclusive from collective recovery.
Early on in the quest for sobriety, men and women have to come to terms with the fact that life will never be the same. People who you once considered friends and allies, start looking decidedly less so; if recovery is to grow, pruning some of the underbrush of one’s past is a must. People’s environments need to change too; in recovery, going to a bar to catch up with friends isn’t safe. Engaging in activities that are inextricably connected to past substance use often have to go as well. In some cases, that includes places of employment.
Journey to Sobriety
While we specialize in working with men at PACE Recovery Center, there is much wisdom that we can glean from women taking the journey to sobriety. Author Kristi Coulter made a critical decision recently about the line of work she was in; a choice which many men in recovery can probably relate. Before she earned recognition for writing about her life sober, Coulter held several executive positions with Amazon. Kristi held jobs that many people could only dream of, which is why it may come as a surprise that last February Coulter quit working in the tech sector. Now, she is thoroughly committed to writing about the new quest she is on—sobriety.
Coulter got sober in 2013. Since then she has documented her life on her blog, Off-Dry, Seattle Magazine reports. With five years free from alcohol under her belt, she published a collection of essays titled “Nothing Good Can Come from This” (released August 7). She tells Woolfer in an interview that the book is about “what happens when a high-achieving, deeply unhappy fortysomething woman gives up the ‘one’ thing she really thinks she can’t live without–wine–and has to remake her entire sense of self from the ground up.”
She talks about working in the high-stress tech-sector, about how alcohol use and addiction is pervasive in the industry. Like many people new to sobriety, she began penning her thoughts. An essay that she wrote was picked up and led to a book deal. Coulter says she hopes her writing will inspire others to confront their relationship with substances.
I’d love for people to think, ‘What would my life be like after I got rid of the thing that I know I don’t need but [that] I can’t seem to walk away from?’”
Addiction Recovery
At PACE, we take a dynamic approach to our men’s addiction and mental health treatment program. We help clients face the underlying issues of their condition(s) and teach men how to discard self-defeating behaviors and adopt attitudes of positivity. Please contact us to learn more about how we can make the dream of recovery your long-term reality.
