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Responsibility can be defined as “the ability or obligation to act or decide on one’s own, without supervision”. In active addiction, there was very little that I took responsibility for besides getting and using the next drink or drug. For everything else, I relied on my family and friends to enable me, care for me and clean up after the wreckage I often left in my wake.
When I came into this new way of life, I learned that I was responsible for my own recovery. This meant that I had both the ability and the obligation to decide for myself whether or not to attend meetings, whether or not to work a 12-step program and ultimately whether or not to stay clean. It didn’t mean I was alone in the process, but it did mean that it was also up to me to ask for help or guidance when I needed it. The more I embraced responsibility, the more freedom and joy I experienced.
Responsibility for an addict or alcoholic is a very daunting concept. For so long in our active addiction, we ran from it out of fear. Working at Treatment Solutions Network, I get to stand with the suffering addict or alcoholic and help them face this fear. With this assistance of their loved ones, healthcare providers, EAP’s, or other community members, I am able to help them to help themselves and make the decision to seek a new way of life.
At Treatment Solutions Network, we’re experts at streamlining the process of finding the appropriate level of help for the suffering addict or alcoholic, from the initial phone call to dealing with the insurance companies, to assisting in travel and throughout the entire treatment process. But no matter how good we are at what we do, it’s ultimately the addict or alcoholic who makes the decision, in spite of their fears, to begin taking responsibility for their lives. From there, anything is possible.
