Temporarily relocate
Before I begin this section, let me clarify that relocation is not the answer in itself! Substances are everywhere and no matter where one moves to, they will run into them. Many substances are also in stores which are accessible anywhere. Environment is not the issue, rather the issue is one within. However, in order to begin one’s journey into recovery it is often necessary for one to relocate for the first few months – rehabs and sober homes being the most ideal option. The reason for this is that in early recovery – the addiction complex is extremely strong, and it will be very difficult to not buy substances even if one really doesn’t want to. The addiction complex is much more powerful than the moral complex at this point (see understanding addiction). For this reason, it is hard to start building a recovery program in one’s town of using because one can never initially stop purchasing and using substances.
Going to a rehab and then a sober home creates an artificial setting which temporarily takes away a lot of power from the addiction complex (because its fuel is not readily available). This allows one’s moral complex to shine through for the time being, giving the person a chance to establish a solid recovery program before re-entering regular life. If one cannot afford a rehab or sober home, I recommend just temporarily relocating in whatever way possible just so the individual can be away from their normal using environment for a few weeks. Once a recovery program is established then gradually an individual’s moral complex becomes stronger and the addiction complex weaker (ratio of control changes) and as long as treatment is maintained then a person can go anywhere, they please.
Love Light Recovery
Once the power of the addiction complex has been temporarily lessened one can begin to establish a program of treatment – which is the most important part of this entire process. The treatment program I will outline is what I call Love Light Recovery- which is built upon 6 fundamental pillars, each of which I will explain in the upcoming sections.
These pillars are:
- Service to others
- Connection with Higher Power
- Introspection of self
- Connection with others
- Rejoicing in the beauty of the world
- Expression of self
An important part of Love Light Recovery is incorporating each of these pillars into one’s daily life. It is through these pillars that we grow personally and spiritually and as a byproduct of this growth using becomes less of a necessity within our daily lives.
12 Step programs
12 step programs like AA and NA are of vital importance within LLR for they provide a simple outline for us to begin incorporating some of these fundamental pillars into our lives. When one is attempting to build their program of recovery using LLR it is important they go to as many AA and NA meetings as they can.
In the meetings themselves there is potential for an abundance of connection and love between oneself and others and such connection is heightened due to the shared struggles between individuals in the rooms. Connecting with people and getting numbers is very important as it allows us to begin to see we are not alone in this journey and can always reach out when we need to. Even more importantly these are rooms filled with individuals embarking on the same spiritual journey which we are – many of whom have developed their own understanding of the 12 steps and are happy to share their experiences with us. It is often a good idea to find someone who you resonate with and believe has found what you hope one day to find. Once you have found this person, ask them if they will help guide you through the 12 steps.
The 12 steps can be an extremely useful tool within the program I am outlining. They make a task that is no doubt inherently complex and simplify it greatly by giving us a step-by-step guide for introspection of self and connecting with a higher power. Through the steps we learn to better acknowledge and accept all aspects of self and work to grow from any troubling aspects of self which may be present. We also begin to establish our own understanding of and connection with a higher power and in doing so begin a journey of spiritual growth. On top of all of this in the meetings of NA and AA there is a great potential to be of service to others. People struggling and new to recovery often come into the rooms experiencing that same storm of powerful thoughts and emotions which so many of us feel in early recovery. They may be fearful and greatly uncomfortable and those who have been in the rooms then have the opportunity to reach out a hand to that newcomer and make them feel welcomed letting them know they are not alone. We can also help others in their own spiritual journeys by guiding them through the 12 steps and sharing our own experiences and interpretations of these steps.
Try to help other beings and work to spread unconditional love
Possibly the most important aspect of Love Light Recovery is working to be of service too, and spread love to others. This is an essential part of forming and maintaining a connection with one’s higher power and aligning the void which plagues so many addicts with its true purpose. The saying goes “faith without works is dead”. One may pray, meditate, and work the steps yet still not feel connected in the slightest to this higher power which everyone speaks of. It is the service which bridges this gap and creates such a connection. Such service and love allows individuals to align with one of the key pathways in life – the cooperation pathway (See Cooperation and Competition) thus greatly increasing their connection to all (oneself, other beings, and their higher power).
Providing service to other beings establishes a connection to all which allows us to better align the void that plagues so many addicts. Service is where purpose, identity, and passion are found. LLR believes the best way to grow oneself is to get out of self and work to help others. Go help other beings in any way you can. You don’t need to be a hero; it’s about the little things. Water your plants and make sure they are loved and supported. Change your cat’s litter, bring them toys, treats, etc. Buy a hungry person something to eat. Give a lonely person some company. Helping other beings can look like a variety of different things. It doesn’t matter what it is, anything that helps spread love to another being is beneficial. The majority of times one feels bad they are thinking about self, however when one exists the self and sets their focus on others the light of the higher power begins to shine through.
Eventually you will likely find certain aspects or types of service to others that you especially enjoy doing. Maybe it’s working with other addicts, maybe it’s working with trees, maybe it’s working with dogs. LLR believes everyone has their own niche in the field of service to others and spreading love. Work to find what this niche is for you and when you do, embrace it and run with it.
Rejoicing In the Beauty of the World
The last key pillar in LLR is learning to acknowledge and take in the true beauty of the world we live in. Throughout daily life, oftentimes we get so fixated on our occupations, goals, desires, and just minute aspects of everyday life that we begin to take for granted the true beauty of the world around us. To most it is very obvious this was true during active addiction, all we could think about was using and we became blind to all other aspects of the world. However, what is sometimes less obvious is the fact that this same thing can happen in recovery as well. Whether it be working tirelessly to regain the things which we lost, completely immersing ourselves in the 12 steps and meetings, or devoting ourselves to be of constant service to others, we often find ourselves devoting all of our time to particular aspects of our new lives. This is by no means a bad thing especially if one is devoting themselves to their method of treatment. However, when devoting all of one’s time or energy to anything it becomes easy to start taking the beauty of life itself for granted. For this reason, it is important to take some time each week and just take in the beauty of the world around us. Just like all the other aspects of LLR, this will look different for different people. Some may enjoy watching sunsets, some playing or listening to music, some painting or drawing. It’s important to explore all the different experiences this world has to offer in order to find which aspects are beautiful to you. Taking some time out of each week to rejoice in this beauty allows our constantly racing minds to take a much-needed rest and during this time we are able to better appreciate the beauty of this life. We can begin to see things from a new perspective and grow closer to our higher power.
Summary
- Relocate for a month or so if you can just to give yourself some sober time to start building your program
- Go to NA/AA meetings get numbers and ask someone to guide you through the 12 steps
- Help others in whatever way you can. Whether it be plants, animals, or humans, just help them. Try your best to spread unconditional love to every being. Find the acts of service to others which your most passionate about – everyone has different niches in the field of being of service.
- Take time out of each week to rejoice in the beauty of the word