Self Help Recovery Information - Recovery Road Map (dot) com


Self-Help Information
Recovery Road Map ~ Self Help Philosophy 1. Ultimately we are all responsible for ourselves, and the choices we make in life. 2. Part of being human, is that we make both good and bad choices, and can learn from them both. 3. As humans, we are social beings, and need a relationship with ourselves, with other significant people in our lives, and to have a spiritual connection with something greater than ourselves such as with nature or a God (of our understanding). 4. Addictions (repeated non-helpful behaviors) arise, as we try to cope with the stuck points in our lives. The stuck points can be our reactions to our various life experiences, or our frustrated attempts to cope with things in life that are beyond our control (like other people). 5. Many times addictions to alcohol, other drugs, or a variety of behaviors, begin as a choice (mental and emotional), but end up as a disease (physical need). 6. Recovery involves being true to ourselves, to others, and to God, by taking back that control over some areas of our life that we had given over to the addictive habit or behaviors. It is learning to daily: think, feel, and act, in a manner that is respectful to ourselves and to others. 7. Any kind of life change is a process - such as the Model of Change listed on the right and further detailed below.
Click for a printable Self-Help Philosophy pdf			Click for a printable Model of Change pdf
Transtheoretical Model of Change ~ How can I change?				The Butterfly The butterfly is ever more blessed than other creatures of flight. Though all grace the heavens in the ecstasy of flight, the butterfly has known the drudgery of the crawl and the lonely confinement of the cocoon. His new found freedom is richer, wilder and more thrilling than life itself. This is the beauty of recovery. Author Unknown Power and Glory A GUILT FELT SHAME all of which makes for a heart full of pain. THE CONSEQUENCES I SUFFER from playing cruel games. MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. The only story I've left to tell is that of my self created HELL. K.B.A. The Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. God grant me the serenity, to accept the people I cannot change, courage to change the one I can, and wisdom to know it's me.
Addiction & Recovery Quotes
"Being willing to change and knowing how to change are two different things." DCP The complete Model of Change pages & pdfs can be downloaded in the member's section. The “*Model of Change” developed by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente is based on the assumption that the person recovering from drug abuse/addiction passes through several common stages with different characteristics as they go through a recovery process. Ultimately, each person will have to follow their own unique pathway to recovery, and thus stage models* of recovery are at best a “*descriptive” guide rather than fully “explanatory.” Step 1: Precontemplation ~ This is my life... Precontemplation* (PC) is the first stage, and about 40% of substance users at any given moment, are thought to be in this stage. Precontemplation is when the individual is *actively abusing chemicals* and it has not occurred to him or her to try to abstain from chemical abuse. This phase can continue for *years* or even *decades, and it is during this phase of chemical use that denial* is most prominent. Many people in this stage will over estimate the problems inherent in quitting and under estimate their available resources for change. Self-help Recovery Guide Alcohol Use - check list Stages of Substance Use - Drug Use Continuum Self-Assessment Questionaire Real Teen ~ Drug Use Stories (not all stories have a happy ending) Step 2: Contemplation ~ Why change? *Contemplation* (C) is when the individual begins to entertain the *idea* of *possibly stopping* the alcohol/drug use “one of these days.” About 40% of substance users are in this phase, at any given time. During this phase the individual *remains ambivalent* (mixed thoughts and feelings) about the *possibility of change, but has a growing “sense of dissatisfaction” with his or her alcohol/drug centered lifestyle. An individual may remain in this phase for months* or even *years, while continuing to engage in chemical use. The therapeutic challenge* is to enhance the client’s *motivation to change, to awaken within the client a desire* for *spiritual growth, to help the client understand* how the chemical use has affected his or her life. Self-Assessment Chart Pro & Con List - Why should I quit? Why I drink or use drugs... (stories written by teens in a recovery program) Gift of Depression (member's section) Barriers to Personal Change (member's section) Step 3: Preparation and Determination ~ What do I do? *Preparation & Determination* is the stage where the individual begins to make the *cognitive changes* necessary to support his or her *attempt at abstinence. Determination* is the cognitive (thinking) process of building up one’s resolve (firm determination) in support of their decision* or choice to try to alter the existing pattern of behavior.* Preparation is figuring out all the steps that need to be undertaken, and all the triggers and cues that need to be guarded against, in order for the addict to be able to follow through with the decision that was made. Deciding to Quit using Alcohol or Drugs Changing a Habit (to find freedom from addiction) Getting Motivated Making Recovery a Habit (member's section) Alternatives to AA, NA, CA, CMA (eh, eh) Step 4: Action ~ Letting go of... ~ Moving from Fear to Faith. *Action* (A) is the stage where the client *actively engages* in the *process of changing his or her addictive behaviors. For some clients and therapist this is when the client initially stops their substance use, and begins a period of complete abstinence from mood altering chemicals (the client’s “clean date”). It is important for persons in early recovery to know that “using dreams” can be quite common and are not indicative of a pending relapse. Recovery and Discovery (being the best you can be) Treatment Help for Stimulant Use ~ Cocaine/Crack & Methamphetamine/Crystal Meth Step 5: Maintenance ~ Progress not Perfection. Maintenance* (M) is the stage that begins about six months after the individual has abstained from chemical use, and blends into the *termination stage* at around 5 years. It is during this phase that the individual learns or relearns the behaviors that will enable him or her to continue to abstain from chemical use. It is putting the new patterns of *thinking, feeling, and acting* into *practice* that enables the person to *progress in his or her recovery* (progress not perfection). It is learning that “healthy routines are good medicine” and a certain amount of repetitive patterns in the person’s daily life are ok, and the person in recovery does not need to go from “chaos to chaos” any longer. At this time, the individual might have to *confront personal issues* that contributed to, or at least supported, his or her use of chemicals. It is during this phase of recovery that the individual must learn the skills necessary to support a substance abuse free lifestyle, including the need to find or keep a job and to enter into relationships that will support recovery. This is also a time when the person in recovery can safely explore their *past* issues, experiences and relationships, and put them into proper perspective. Relapse Prevention ~ Symptoms Relapse Prevention ~ Avoiding Relapse & 3-3-3 Keeps you Free The complete "Relapse Prevention Plan" pages are only available in the member's section. Step 6: Termination or Life Fulfillment ~ Being the best that I can be. Only about 20% of people who begin the recovery process will reach the termination stage, which is marked by cognitive changes that free them from such things as *dreaming* about using their “*drug of choice,” and preoccupation* with chemical use. The model of change has been applied to a variety of addictions from chemical use to other behaviors. It works both as a *therapeutic tool* used by professionals and as a *self-help guide* for those who recovery “naturally” (without professional help). There is much more information in... you guessed it - the member's section.
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