Worried by the growth of recoveryism? Sunday, 27 February 2011
Given the almost meteoric rise of the recovery movement over recent years you might be forgiven for believing that recovery means spending years surrounding yourself with others in recovery and that it's an endless journey that you will need to continue treading for the rest of your life. You might be forgiven for thinking that few people attain happy contented abstinence, that addiction is a pernicious, evil spectre which stalks the vulnerable.
Well, the good news is that this is simply a myth. The world is full of people who find themselves caught in the trap of addiction who go onto sort the problem out and get on with their lives. Many people "recover" quietly and resolutely with no more than a personal decision to stop and stay stopped. Indeed, this group of people are in the majority.
Often this decision is underpinned by a realisation that continued use is simply unjustifiable. It is the understanding that our behaviour has become untenable and unacceptable and that it had to change. These people, the quiet, dignified, successfully recovered are the huge majority and yet receive little in the way of publicity.
They don't endlessly recount stories of old, going over and over the trials and ordeals of their past - indeed often people would say that to do so would be a manner of trying to justify past behaviour. These are people who don't pat themselves on the back for stopping behaving in a way they now find disgraceful and selfish. Above all these people represent the norm, not the exception.
More people "recover" outside of our treatment system than in it - this one simple fact tells us a great deal. It tells us that recovery is doable. It tells us that the individual is frequently stronger than the group. It tells us that stopping and staying stopped doesn't have to be an protracted trial or journey.
At Intuitive Recovery we aim to give people an alternative way of stopping using and staying stopped. One that he or she does on their own, with their own inner strength and their own resolve. We aim to encourage people still using to contemplate stopping, to look at its benefits, to acknowledge that its perfectly achievable. We aim also to challenge the usefulness of the increasing medicalisation of addiction. To challenge concepts that keep people locked into treatment and support. To give people a realisation that they are strong and resolute when using and that therefore they can be strong and resolute when not using.
In sort we aim to empower people to do it themselves - because it's worth so much more when it's yours.
Peter Bentley
Founder.
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