“Love is like a narcotic. At first it brings the euphoria of complete surrender. The next day, you want more. You’re not addicted yet, but you like the sensation, and you think you can still control things.” Or so says Pilar, the lead character in Paulo Coelho’s By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept. If this analogy between love and narcotics is accurate, it’s little wonder why many people are hooked on drugs. In fact, studies show that more and more people are having addiction problems – with drugs, alcohol, or even with both.
A person who is countering addiction problems can opt to be taken to any rehabilitation center. This is the best way to jumpstart California sober living – as do most of the other sober living houses in different parts of the world. The specialists there can help people fight the addiction and keep it at bay permanently. There are several ways by which addiction can be treated. One of the more common ways to do this is through the 12-step addiction recovery program. This program was adapted from the organization ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ and was since used as a means to help give guidance to people with addiction as they take the path towards a complete recovery.
The question now is, is the 12-step recovery program still effective? California sober living can be a challenge and it becomes even more so because some sober living houses have different views as to whether the 12-step recovery program is the best intervention program for people with addiction. Critics of the program point out that there are more current intervention programs that would suit people with addiction more. But then again, there are still a lot of experts who perceive that the 12-step process is still the best major intervention program for people with addiction.
One of the most important aspects of this program is that it allows people with addiction to talk about what they are experiencing. The best thing about this is that they are sharing their experience with people who are also hooked on addictive substances; therefore they understand each other better. They also get to learn more through the experiences of others.
On top of interacting with other people with addiction, California sober living requires that people who are hooked on addictive substances also get the chance to work with people who know their way around fighting the addiction. What they learn from these people is based more on hard reality rather than theory. When they see that recovery is a constant struggle even for other people with addiction, they will stop judging themselves. Most of the time, self-blame leads to a relapse and when a relapse happens a recovering person’s self-esteem will take a blow.
Both sides are actually valid. Because the best interests of people with addiction should be prioritized, a compromise between the traditional method and the more modern ones can help strengthen the commitment to recovery and sobriety. And since the 12-step recovery program still proves to be effective for people with addiction, it looks like it will be more potently effective in combination with more current methods and approaches. In fact, it is now possible to customize sobriety programs according to each person’s needs. This customization in rehab and sober living will go a long way to ensure that people with addiction turn their lives around completely.