God isn’t for everyone. For that matter, neither is spirituality. In the world of recovery, mostly dominated by a twelve step program that prides itself on being a spiritual program, there is seemingly a lot of pressure to get spiritual. All too often, people steer clear from the hands of recovery out of fear for being brainwashed or forced into dogmatic religion. Quite the contrary, the text of the twelve steps repeatedly cites “God as we understood him”. A god isn’t even required. One of the reasons spirituality, religion and God are so deeply intertwined with recovery is simply faith.
Among other things, faith means having the ability to believe. Believing is a very important thing in the tender days of early recovery, and through the most of life for the recovering individual. In order to come to recovery, it must be believed that a problem with substances does indeed exist. Furthermore, there has to be faith that there is another way. even beyond that, there has to be a hope that whatever that other way is, it is possible, even for the individual for whom little else has worked so far. Coming through this point in a recovering person’s journey is probably the biggest leap of faith they will take. Day by day, hour by hour, they learn to act in more faith that they can get through another period of time without drinking or using. Soon, they even have faith in themselves and believe that they can in fact live a clean life of recovery.
Getting there is not easy. It takes time and it takes practice as it essentially goes against recent years of contrary action and behavior. However, it is a special experience because it gets to be made one hundred percent unique. Developing a spiritual practice is completely custom. Recovery is freedom from the bondage of drugs and alcohol, included in that is the freedom to choose what to think and what to believe. Trying on different types of thought is one of the joys of recovery. Begin building a spiritual practice by experimenting with different things. Pick and choose from what is liked, leave out what isn’t liked. If a religion fits, dive in! If a more spiritual practice works, utilize that too. Find practices like meditations that allow quiet time for contemplation, deep rest and deep thought. A spiritual practice should inspire thinking far outside the self and foster feelings of perspective and gratitude.
Recovery means defining yourself in a whole new light. The Villa Treatment Center strives to help you find the way. Call 1-818-639-7160 today for more information on our treatment programs, designed to help you believe in living again.
