Episode 270: What is Recovery?

Today, I want to talk about recovery. What is it anyway? To answer the question, I am borrowing heavily from the pamphlet “SAMHSA’s Working Definition of Recovery” published in 2012 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

I start each episode introducing Beyond Belief Sobriety as a podcast and community for people who are seeking or who have found a secular path to recovery from addictions of all kinds. I use the term “recovery” a lot on this podcast and in conversations I have with listeners and other friends. At least one person told me she doesn’t like to see herself as being “in recovery”, and I understand that. I don’t necessarily want to be in recovery for the rest of my life either. Just hearing the word makes one think there is still something wrong with us that we are trying to get over. At a certain point though, we should be at a stage in our lives where we have fully recovered, and we can move on with living balanced and meaningful lives.

SAMSHA Defines Recovery

When you consider recovery as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the word takes on a different meaning, at least it does for me. In 2010, stakeholders in the recovery community consisting of leaders in the behavioral health field, people in recovery from mental health and substance abuse, and SAMHSA, met to come up with a unified definition of recovery to simplify the discussion around treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders. Building on that work, and in consultation with many other stakeholders, SAMHSA came up with the following standard working definition of recovery:

“Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.”

I like this definition because it’s positive and describes a way of life that I think anyone would want to live regardless of whether they have experienced problems with substance abuse. You could just as easily define life this way. Life itself is a process of change, isn’t it? Since I’ve been sober, I have been fortunate to have a community and a roadmap to help me through life, through this process of change. I have worked at improving my mental and physical well-being, and I am regularly challenging myself to live to my fullest potential. If this is recovery, then that’s okay with me.

SAMHSA goes on to provide four major dimensions that support recovery, and ten guiding principles.

I like to think of the four dimensions as the pillars that support my recovery: health, home, purpose, and community. So, let’s look at each pillar to understand why it might be important to keep these in mind.

Four Dimensions of Recovery

Health

SAMHSA describes this dimension as overcoming or managing one’s disease or symptoms. They provide an example of abstaining from alcohol or illicit drugs if one has an addiction problem, and for everyone in recovery to make informed healthy choices that support physical and emotional wellbeing. Remember, abstinence is not part of the definition of recovery, but in most cases, recovery hinges on abstinence to the substance that has become a problem. There are people though, who are in recovery who may not practice abstinence, but manage their problem-drinking through medications such as naltrexone. Their recovery is being supported by taking the medication prescribed to manage their symptoms. These people are engaged in a process of change and meet the definition of being in recovery.

In my case, if I weren’t abstinent from alcohol, then I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be fully engaged with life, or interested in changing, and striving to reach my full potential. My drinking became such a problem that any normal life was impossible. So, for me, abstinence from alcohol is essential to my health and wellness.