by JD, WestBridge Participant
Recovery is a challenge. To realize that something about your life or circumstances must change is hard enough, but to do it on your own is even more difficult. A change in the company previously kept is an important step to recovery. but forming sober, healthy friendships can be especially difficult for those that are dual-diagnosed. Fellow travelers on the road to recovery remind you that you are not alone, and sharing the journey results in a unique bond. Having mentors and sponsors who have been down the road shows that while the journey is long and hard, it is not impossible.
A team-based approach to recovery changes the rules of the game. It is no longer a single person versus the drug, the disease, or the world. Now it is we and not I alone who must trek onward and upward. From a clinical perspective, the team may consist of case managers, nurses, doctors, therapists and mentors. However, through daily interactions those labels are replaced by real people, allowing for a more genuine therapeutic relationship. Restoring honest and open with communication with family members while building trusting relationships with new friends and a team of caring, supportive allies in the struggle toward recovery builds the strong foundation on which the recovering person can more confidently stand.