The 12 Palms rehab blog publishes weekly addiction related articles directed to help and guide families and addicts on the addiction treatment and recovery.
In our minds, we all have an idea of what life is supposed to be like. These ideals can
extend into various aspects of our lives – from our relationships to our families, to our
children, our work and more. Striving for perfection is a noble endeavor, but only if we
are also able to understand and accept our limitations, which we all have; otherwise, we
set ourselves up for constant disappointment. Life rarely goes according to plan, and
those who expect things to be perfect are going to be regularly disappointed.
The same is true for substance abusers who enter recovery with high expectations of
themselves; they develop an all-or-nothing approach to sobriety that sets them up for
disappointment and threatens their chances for an enduring recovery.
“We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
Many believe the main Spiritual Principle behind Step Nine is Justice. It is in this Step where we make right the wrongs we have done. By the time we’ve reached this Step, we are ready to make our amends. First, what is an amends? Most anyone in recovery will agree, an amends is not merely saying we’re sorry. How many times did we cry, “I’ll never do that again” or “I’m so, so sorry, I really mean it this time!” and “I promise, I will do better next time…” Only to repeatedly neglect our promise and continue to plead for forgiveness for hurting our loved ones. An actual amends is a change in behavior. We make an amends to no longer repeat the actions that causes harm.
One of the things that I learned early on in my recovery from alcoholism was that as long as I continued drinking, peace of mind was never going to be achieved. Considering the path my life took in the months and years preceding my decision to enter alcohol rehab, they were absolutely right.
So, what do I do to stop the pain in my head? That’s the question that many alcoholics face in early recovery. At 12 Palms Recovery Center, that answer can be found.
“When an addict is finally willing to admit that they are completely powerless over their addiction and need help recovering, they are left with a choice.”
