Growing Recovery

Sustaining recovery is similar to growing a plant. Even when the seed sprouts, without sufficient water or fertilizer, the plant will be stunted, or worse, wither and die.

Abstinence is like the “rain” of recovery. It allows the body to detox, eliminating poisons that have built up in one’s body from years of use. Without rain, the plant can only tolerate so much stress before it runs out of resilience, and it will eventually be overcome and wither.

Affirmations, stories of recovery, and the support of others in recovery are the “fertilizer” that feeds the spark of hope that nurtures recovery. Listening to others who have “bloomed” in their own recovery can be encouraging and inspiring to one new to his or her own journey in recovery. The information related and the social connections forged in meetings and with sponsors are the essential building blocks for one seeking to “grow” wellness.

Today, I will allow the clear waters of abstinence to wash away the old toxins that may remain in my body. I will fertilize the hope for my own long-term recovery by listening to others whose journey in recovery provides me with the energy I need to “bloom” in my own life.