Resisting Relapse – Tripod Style
Fresh at Fifty……..
“Life after Rehab”
Each week that I attend a group session at the ministry;
I’m struck in the heart with news that another one of my brothers have fallen.
I am in constant awe of the leadership and staff at Fresh Start; because I know
this hurts them deeply. I know this, because
I feel it; it hurts me too. So much so;
that after last night’s group message on relapse; I felt completed to write
this piece and dedicate it to ALL who struggle with the temptation of relapse. I pray that those men out there that have
left the program have an opportunity to read and ingest this message. I also pray that the guys in the program NOW
get to read it and that it may also impact them in some manner.
While I was praying about this last night; the Lord put three
items on my heart about the levers that need to be pulled in order to avoid
a potential relapse. Therein lies the
title of this piece; Tripod Style.
In my view, there are three main focal points of recovery that need to
be fulfilled in order to resist the temptation of relapse.
1 – Your continued
and growing faith and your relationship with Christ - I specifically put
this one first, because I know from firsthand experience that without a strong
focus on my faith; everything else in my life falls apart. I’ve tried it my own way for many, many
years; and it just doesn’t work. It may
“seem” to work for some time; and you
can even “look” successful out there
in the world. But it’s fleeting. I am convinced that The Lord strategically
placed me at Fresh Start to grow in relationship with him. This was the foundation of my recovery and
this needs to be the cornerstone of your focus as you work on recovery and as
you go back out into the world. Trust me
when I say this; the enemy will be waiting for you around every corner; be prepared;
be strong in your faith. Just
this week I was hit with another major financial difficulty. The “old” me would have fallen back into
self-pity; trying to find some mechanism to medicate my pain. And while I did spend some time in a low
place; it was temporary, and my faith in who I am in Christ brought me
out.
2 – Connectedness
– One of the foundations of recovery; from AA to NA to GA; and others; is that
you MUST stay connected. However, connectedness;
in my humble opinion; needs to be tied to number one above. In others words, it’s perfectly fine to
attend NA and AA meetings, but you also need to be connected to other believers
through church, through a small group, through a bible study, or through my
personal favorite: group night at
Fresh Start. We talked about this last night; the fact that one of the first
things that happens to addicts when they are on their way to relapse; is that
they isolate. I see this each week as I
set out to reach out to some of my brothers that have graduated the
program. I reach out, and as we stay in
the recruiting world; “crickets”. In other words, they don’t pick up my call
and they don’t return my call.
This is a sure sign that things are not going well. If I could reach through the phone and grab
them; I would. I would tell them that I am not calling to judge them (although I can be frank and tough sometimes);
I’m calling to love them and do what I can to ensure they are on the right track. Heck, I need people doing that for me as
well; we all do. So, staying connected
is critical to avoiding relapse.
3 - Relationships –
One of the main components of Fresh Start success that I’ve noticed; is that
the men who truly take the program seriously develop very strong relationships
with other men (including staff) while they are there. In fact, the guys that I see continuing to do
well outside have kept those relationships going; and also stay focused on
building new and healthy relationships with other like-minded people. I’ve been a student of relationship
management my entire life; always looking to make new friends; and recovery is
no different. I built so many incredible bonds with guys last year; sharing recovery,
sharing pain, and sharing HOPE; that was a huge part of my program. I see many men in the program that seem to
struggle with relationships and those are the guys that have a greater chance
of going back to what is familiar. Therefore,
step out of your comfort zone and get into relationships. We were built to be together; to be in
community; one body in Christ; especially when we are trying the mend the
brokenness of our lives. Another critical
piece to avoiding the dreaded relapse.
My prayer today is that someone will read this and that
maybe; just maybe; ONE PERSON can avoid falling back into the abyss. All three of the items are as important as
each other; and if one leg of the Tripod breaks; everything falls. There is HOPE for all recovering addicts; and
that HOPE resides in the power and strength derived from a combination of
strong faith and good decision-making.
The good news is that they go hand in hand; and if achieved; you are
well on your way to healthy living.
I conclude today with an attachment to a MUST SEE video
about an all American athlete; that broke his leg and fell into a deep drug
addiction. As you watch this video;
imagine what it would be like to recover like this young man did; and then fall
back into addiction. Imagine how much
worse it would be the second time around.
Then contemplate over the fact that if you follow the Tripod method
outlined in my piece above; you could potentially avoid this pitfall and
continue on with your positive and wonderful recovery.
Enjoy:
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