Renewal in Recovery

Our name NewDay might sound corny, but it was chosen with serious intent based on concepts of change and renewal. With each new day recovery from addiction is possible. This is the idea I’d like to instill in the mind of everyone with an addiction problem. There’s an old idea that stubbornly persists from generation to generation that real change is not possible, that we are what we are and it’s too ingrained to make much change. I don’t believe this is true, and many smart people who work in the field of psychology don’t believe it’s true. People can change, they can accomplish renewal, they can recover from conditions such as addiction.

I’ve personally experienced renewal, change, recovery in my life and witnessed it in thousands of others. It’s never too late. There are some mental conditions that limit change, but I’ve witnessed change even among those who face such severe limitations. The human spirit is powerful and resilient. In addiction, the human spirit is damaged over and over, day after day for years and sometimes decades. It feels like nothing will change, especially if the person has tried to change many times only to return to alcohol/drugs. The thing is renewal is not easy. Renewal requires hard work, support, a plan, daily action and a deep desire to change.

Most people make the mistake of trying to change on their own, but they don’t know how to change, so they go back to what they know when change becomes too hard and painful to handle alone. It’s amazing we can have car trouble and find it easy and reasonable to take the car to a mechanic who knows how to fix cars, yet when it comes to our life, our happiness and peace of mind, we can’t reach out for help. There’s no shame in needing help with life, especially with something like addiction — of course we wouldn’t know how to deal with addiction, why would we know how to find renewal in recovery if we’ve never done it before? The good news is that there are many people who do know about renewal in recovery and they’re willing to help. It only requires reaching out and asking for help. In the early twentieth century and before there weren’t many places a person with an addiction problem could go, and most addicts/alcoholics died prematurely in terrible conditions. Nowadays you can Google “help with addiction” and find resources in seconds. Even if the first time someone reaches out for help it doesn’t feel right, as long as a person keeps trying to find help, they’ll soon find it. Then it’s just a matter of accepting the help and following through. Renewal is possible and real. Happy new year.