Addiction recovery has many different elements, all of which are important towards maintaining a life free from the shackles of drugs and alcohol. Living a life in addiction is all consuming, the byproduct of living for years with one concern: How will I maintain my habit for another day? Such a goal requires that one live their life selfishly, the concerns of others are no longer relevant. Recovery, on the other hand, is the exact opposite; requiring that one think about others.
Living life on self-will alone can, and often does, result in painful outcomes; self-will is the fuel that powers the vehicle of addiction. In recovery, people working a program are encouraged to volunteer their help to others. It can be as simple as making a pot of coffee at the meeting you attend, handing out reading material, and giving someone a ride to or home from a meeting. Simple selfless acts are paid back ten-fold, working to strengthen one’s own recovery.
For those new to recovery, it is advised that you always take the opportunity to lend your services to others when asked. Even if you are not asked to help, it is worth volunteering anyway. Any opportunity you can find to help others, helps you get outside of your mind – a place that is often unsafe in early recovery. It can take a while for a person’s thought process to become healthy, especially after years of substance use. The less time you spend inside your own head, the better.
Throughout the year, recovery events are held that can always use another hand. You can find out about such events at your recovery homegroup or on the internet. While working such events will not pay you money, it can be easily argued that it will pay you something more valuable than money – peace of mind. Recovery events are also a great opportunity to meet new people in the recovery community.
For more information about recovery events, please visit:
At Cottonwood Tucson our treatment team works with each client presenting a holistic addiction treatment approach which offers our patients the opportunity to become the creators of their own reality of health and wellness, through skillful attention to the care and nourishment of a balanced lifestyle. Part of a balanced lifestyle is being of service to others…helping out in recovery.
