What to Expect With Addiction Recovery

The road to addiction recovery is a never-ending effort to return to sanity and health. Someone addicted to drugs or alcohol can succeed only when he begins the process with realistic expectations. Many support groups exist to help put recovering addicts in contact with others who are farther along in the process to share what to expect on the way.

Physical Discomfort

• When Clubber Lang was asked his prediction for the fight against Rocky Balboa, his response was, "Pain." This is a good prediction for the recovering addict as well. Physical withdrawal may include headaches, nausea, stomach cramps and dizziness. The detoxification process is often uncomfortable.

Emotional Awakening

• Feelings that have been hidden and medicated begin to surface in recovery. Loneliness, fear and anger that you have avoided by using alcohol or drugs must now be confronted. Do not feel you must do this alone. Talk to others about your feelings and write them down in a recovery journal.

Growth

• Anticipate growth in every area of your life. Your growth has been stunted by your addictive behavior. In the next few weeks and months, you will grow in your relationships with family, friends and, perhaps, God. Expect to have more money and time to use in productive ways now that you are not investing in your addiction.

Support

• Look for others to support you in your journey. Join a support group with others who are involved in the same process. Make friends with a more experienced recovering addict and learn to trust her as a friend. Build a support group of friends and family who want to see you succeed in recovery.

Struggle

• Recognize that the road to recovery ends when you die. For the rest of your life you will struggle to stay clean and defeat the enemy of your addiction. There will never come a day when you can claim you are totally "healed" or "restored" but must take each day as a new struggle to stay clean.