People that are in recovery for drug or alcohol addiction are classified as survivors, the warriors that made it through and are prepared to battle through until the end. They protect their sobriety by getting sponsors, meeting new friends, and rewiring pretty much, their whole life.
Everything changes
Here’s the thing, while the new offers freshness and reprieve, the one thing it does not offer is any comfort for the victims that the survivors have left behind. The families, the spouses, the children, the friends, all of whom have been equally transformed, are left different than they once were.
The transformation
Where there was once trust, it has been shattered, where there was once peace, there is broken harmony, and where there was once happiness, there is now discontentment. Nothing is the same for them. While there is a deep sense of pride as they watch their loved one transform into a new realm there is a piece missing within their soul.
The pieces of them that became broken can never be repaired because something within them is now different and will be forevermore. Often, there can be a sense of bitterness that unfolds because there was no sense of control over the circumstances. This was the hand that was dealt. Everything has changed and as much as you may wish you could wave a magic wand over it and make it go away, you can’t.
The broken family
Drug and alcohol addiction affects the whole family and stresses them to the breaking point. It also jeopardizes the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental health, physical health, finances, and overall family dynamics. Surviving this requires a skill that must be learned and practiced daily.
Recovery
Feelings such as these can only be dealt with by interacting with others who have been down the same road. These are people that have learned how to trust again, how to live peacefully, and how to be happy. These are the people that have used what they have been through to actually enrich their lives and make them better. This is how you learn that while every single person cannot be trusted there are many that can. This is how you can restore the harmony in your life.
