Multiple paths to recovery

We imagine a world where the path an individual decides to take to get to, and, stay in recovery, is truly accepted. The reality is there ARE multiple ways one get to to recovery.  The reality is there ARE multiple ways one can stay in the recovery they define for themselves. 

The sad truth is this is not accepted by all. There are many in the treatment industry who only teach one modality and don't allow for and individual to define what recovery might look for them.  We have a system that forces people to only go to one type of recovery support system to maintain their recovery when we know there are several types of support systems that can help someone sustain and improve their lives.  We have a judicial system that perpetuates this cycle by following what treatment entities say they should be doing or not doing.  In all to many cases individuals are not given any options outside of very narrow window of recovery supports.

We pose these questions about how we should gauge whether or not someones life recovery is working or not:

Has their overall life improved or is it beginning to improve? 
Have they either, reduced or discontinued their use of drugs or alcohol? 
Have they found stable housing and do they have the necessary resources to sustain that housing? 
Have they returned to working in a job or career that supports them and their family? 
Are they no longer breaking laws and going to jail?
Do they have a sense of hope for themselves and the world around them?
Have they begun movement toward becoming independent in caring for themselves?
What are the things they are doing in a all areas of their lives to support their recovery?
Have they been given a wide range of choice to support their life in recovery?

The idea that recovery is this linear path is a lie. The ideology that some carry that says "it's this way or it's not recovery" literally, causes more pain, and in our view, more deaths, than it does any good. We MUST step out of our silos of treatment and recovery mentalities that give the impression that if one isn't doing recovery in a narrow path it is wrong.  We can not keep perpetuating isolated ideologies of what recovery should or shouldn't look like.

There is frustration when entities say they provide individualized care, but, in reality, it is the one way or the highway method of treatment and recovery. Individualized care means you should truly take in information from the individual to determine what will work best for them.  You can't just put it on your brochure and put them in the same cookie cutter treatment plan that all others go under. There are treatment providers who do this repeatedly, and blame the client for not having success in recovery.  

We MUST get out of our silos

We MUST be innovative with treatment modalities

We MUST truly be open to all recovery supports

We MUST do all these things so more lives will be saved.