What Does Recovery Mean to Me?

While I was in prison I had to go through a drug rehab program called Therapeutic community. I didn’t much like the program but one thing I did like about it was the fact that they were always giving us writing assignments. A lot of the prisoners in the program with me hated that, but I love to write! Anyway I was going through some of my paperwork from prison the other day and found those writing assignments and thought some of them would make great hubs.

This one is called “What Recovery Means to Me”

Well I thought about getting real technical with this assignment. Looking up recovery in the dictionary, researching the big book and other writings from AA maybe even going around to a few peers and asking what recovery means to them. But that is not what this assignment asks for. The question is simple. “What does recover mean to me?” To me, not to the dictionary, not to AA not even to any of you. But the question is also complicated, “What does recovery mean to me?” Not so simple. Because with me, there is so much to recover. So much that seems just beyond recovery.

Recovery means taking back what was lost.

Going to the enemies camp and taking back what he stole from me. The enemy in this case is myself, the enemies camp is my heart. There lies all my defects, apathy, selfishness, sloth, depravity in general. Through succumbing to them I have become my own nemesis and created my own nightmare. No one likes to be lied too and deception is most wicked, never stings more than when it comes from within.

So then what does recovery mean to me?

Recovery means challenge, hard work, determination, and hard core tenacity. Recovery means no more excuses no further delay. This is for real this is not for play! So I grit my teeth and put my feet to the grind ready to battle to do whatever it takes. Whatever I have to endure I know it’s well worth the cost. Because of all the good things that I know recovery can also be.

What does recovery mean to me?

Recovery means restoration. Restoration of peace of mind, restoration of love for myself and my family. Ultimately, to me, recovery means everything, recovery means life.