One thing that is clear in the world of addiction recovery is that there is no one approach that works for everyone. In the past, there have been attempts at providing a ‘one size fits all’ treatment but this has not produced much in the way of results. It is now generally accepted by addiction experts that there is no ‘right way’ to quit addiction; there is only the way that will work for you.
Why Are There So Many Different Approaches to Recovery?
The fact that there are now so many different approaches to recovery can make things confusing. How do you know which one would be best for you? Why does there have to be so many options? All of these different paths to recovery have developed to suit the needs of different types of individual. The fact that there are now so many is actually a good thing because it means there will almost certainly be something to suit your exact needs.
In the past, you had little choice when it came to breaking free of addiction. Up until the seventies, there was only really the 12-steps approach or limited therapy. These treatments did help many people, but it also meant that there were many who were considered ‘hopeless cases’ because they just couldn’t make these programmes work for them. Those individuals who were dealing with a dual diagnosis (addiction with a mental health problem) were the most likely to struggle. New recovery approaches developed over the last few decades to help those who found it hard to make progress with other systems.
How to Find the Best Recovery Approach for You
One of the keys to finding an appropriate recovery approach for you is to keep an open mind. You need to be careful of your reasons for dismissing any option. Those who have the best chance of maintaining permanent sobriety usually have a ‘do whatever it takes’ attitude. Be sure to carefully analyse your motivations for dismissing any possible solution because you could be saying ‘no’ to the one thing that could really make a difference to you. The ‘yuck’ factor (it makes you feel uncomfortable) is not always the most reliable way to judge these options.
The other important thing you can do to help you find the best recovery approach is to do some experimenting. This will be easier if you are in a rehab programme because these will usually have plenty of options to choose from while you can experiment in a safe environment. You cannot reliably dismiss an option unless you try it at least once. It is also important to understand that some of these approaches would require persistent effort before you start to see real results.
People Are Going to Promote the Approach That Worked for Them
If you speak to someone who has managed to break free of addiction using a particular approach, he or she is likely to be unenthusiastic about that way of dealing with addiction. This person may even be convinced that this is the only right way to do things. Such thinking is just human nature and the individual is only trying to be helpful; it is worth keeping in mind, though, that this person’s view could be biased. It could be that the approach that worked for them would be perfect for you too, but it is not necessarily so – it could even be the wrong solution for you.
