What is the difference between sobriety and recovery?
If you research this topic on various rehab websites, you will find answers about sobriety being physically free from alcohol and drugs. A sober person, by this definition, has no fear of being pulled over for DUI or being subject to a random urine drug screen.
Any test for alcohol or drugs will come up negative for a person in sobriety, because they are simply not using any drugs or alcohol. Recovery, on the other hand, has a more controversial definition.
Many rehabs support an Alcoholics Anonymous definition. They say that a person in addiction recovery is working on personal defects of character and shortcomings by working the 12 steps.
While AA is not a religion, it sometimes seems as if it could be a religion. Members of the program often preach that the 12 steps are the only path to recovery.
In fact, people in early recovery from substance use often hear old timers with long term sobriety say things like, “work the steps or die!” Imagine beginning the recovery process and hearing this sort of threat in a substance abuse treatment program. Being labeled a “dry drunk” just because the program does not work for you does not seem fair.
The recovery journey is different for different people.
Not everyone starts from the same place when working to overcome a drug addiction. Imagine someone who uses heroin to kill the pain of being abused by family members.
Would you recommend family therapy for that person? Or, would you ask them to make a list of people whom they have harmed and then make amends to them?
Or, maybe the best course of action is for that person to gain freedom from their abuser. Sometimes, a more direct approach to solving a problem is best.
If you have a splinter in your foot, you have it safely removed. You don’t pray for the pain to be removed by your higher power and then make amends for walking outside without shoes.
In our example of a person abused by a family member, it is true that therapy will be an essential part of the process to prevent future relapse. It is important to avoid abusive situations with other people, going forward.
What alternative definition might be used in a heroin addiction treatment center?
Opiate addiction treatment is unique in that there is a highly successful medical treatment. Unfortunately, it has taken over twenty years for the mental health and addiction treatment community to get on the same page, accepting that medication assisted treatment long-term is best for many people with an opioid use disorder.
For a person who has stopped using fentanyl and heroin, and now takes Suboxone or methadone, group therapy programs, such as AA or Narcotics Anonymous, may not be ideal. These programs still frown on medical addiction treatment.
Fortunately, there are alternative group support programs, such as SMART Recovery. SMART uses cognitive behavioral therapy as the foundation or their approach to recovery.
When treatment options include identifying triggers and how to deal with them, the individual may now develop a healthy coping mechanism as a major component of their recovery goals.
Going to a treatment facility and meeting with an addiction specialist, it is important to be clear about goals in long term recovery. The rehab client is a human being who deserves to be treated with respect.
If they prefer to focus on healthy habits, such as learning the best diet and exercise programs for recovery, and attend a science-based program instead of a spiritually based program, the addiction treatment program should respect their wishes.
How does cocaine addiction treatment differ from opioid addiction treatment?
Opioids cause both psychological and physical dependence, where cocaine mostly causes only psychological dependence. Abstinence from opioids involves serious withdrawal symptoms.
While quitting cocaine is not easy, there is no physical withdrawal syndrome to overcome, as is the case with drugs such as opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines.
Benzos are interesting in that they mainly cause physical dependence and not psychological dependence. They are not known to be highly addictive substances, but the physical dependence can be severe.
For a substance use disorder involving cocaine, a 12 step program, such as AA or NA might be ideal. After years of drug use, a cocaine addict may benefit from a support group in early sobriety that emphasizes overcoming powerlessness and unmanageability.
A mental health treatment program that works with drug abuse clients who are trying to overcome and addiction to cocaine or meth may do best by defining recovery differently from an opioid addiction treatment program. Recovery has different meanings to different people.
In order to help more people to achieve long-term sobriety, we must acknowledge that recovery is not the same for everyone. We are individuals with unique needs, and it is important that there are a variety of paths to take to achieve lasting recovery and sobriety. To learn more, please listen to our top-rated recovery podcast.
