Why Recovery is A Spiritual Path for Finding Meaning and Personal Growth
Modern spirituality is centered on the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.”
-Philip Sheldrake
When you find your way into recovery, it doesn’t take long before spirituality is discussed.
While actively using your spiritual nature eluded you.
And walking into a treatment facility, detoxification unit, sober living home, or any other pathway for recovery you might struggle with the concept of spirituality.
There is a multitude of pathways for recovery.
And The concept of spirituality is an essential element in each separate path in recovery.
Finding and searching for meaning in life plays a crucial role when learning to live without the obsession to use drugs or alcohol.
For some, the concept of spirituality is entirely new, and it might seem hard to grasp that you can’t be spiritual without committing to religious practices, rituals, codes, and beliefs.
Others might have previously practiced religion and now feel threatened by religious ritual, feel threatened by the contradictions found within the numerous religious sects, or now feel disconnected from the God of your understanding the concept of spirituality will seem challenging.
For those of you who come into recovery with a spiritual background you understanding of God, higher power and the concept of spirituality will make sense.
Nonetheless, whichever category you fit into unlike religion and ritual, spirituality is far more universal, personal, and necessary to a rewarding life in recovery.
The difference between religion and spirituality
Before you can fully understand why spirituality is vital to your recovery you need to separate religion from spirituality.
When the two concepts are used interchangeably will cause you to question the importance of spirituality and never find the grace found within finding your spiritual self. I struggled with this concept for many years. I refused to acknowledge my spiritual person for many years because I was angry with the God my family chose to worship.
My struggle with spirituality highlights the conflict between the two concepts. My failure to not distinguish the definition of these two words created needless struggles and difficulty in my life.
This being said I will define religion as a set of beliefs, rituals, and followed practices of worship. Religion is organized, and devotion is practiced among others.
On the other hand, spirituality is a personal process of finding the true essence and meaning of your life. Spirituality is your individual path of personal growth and transcendence. Not only is spirituality an individual process but a way to recognize and connect with a power greater than ourselves and the desire to connect with others.
Terry Gorski defines recovery as a process of progressive personal growth and change.
In defining spirituality as an individual process for understanding the beliefs, virtues of positive moral character, and path of personal growth and transcendence you simultaneously define the process of addiction recovery.
Recovery is learning to live life with purpose and new connections with others whose aim is to find ways to deal with the chaos of everyday life without drugs and alcohol.
Unlike religion and spirituality, recovery and spirituality can be used interchangeably.
The benefits of spirituality in recovery
When incorporated into the recovery process, spirituality can help you understand yourself, connect to a greater sense of purpose, and stay dedicated to sobriety.
1- When you understand yourself you make better choices
Early I defined spirituality as the essence of finding meaning in your life. Addiction has blinded you from your purpose. Once you disconnect from actively using you begin to take your power back. Once again you can freely choose who you spend time with, where you go, how you act, and what you put into your body and mind.
Having the ability to choose for yourself is vital in recovery because up until recently your addiction decided all that you chose to do.
Taking time to reflect on your meaning and purpose allows you to make better choices
2- Personal growth and change
Another aspect of spirituality is the ability to personally grow into a person which resonates with your meaning and purpose. In your addiction life was routine, even in the daily chaos and uncertainty. When life becomes habitual and ritualized in dangerous pursuits as positive growth will cease.
Instead, spirituality (like recovery) is about positive growth and the evolution into a being of good moral character.
3- Healthy relationships
Addiction is isolation; the loss of all real relationships and positive connection in life.
Disconnecting from all that is good in your life. Many of your positive relationships suffered from you pushing those who love you further from your life. As you spiraled further downward, you lost the ability to be yourself. In the adverse actions and behaviors such as dishonesty and disloyalty, you lost the ability to connect to anything that isn’t a means to your end-drug or alcohol use.
Recovery is connecting to healthy relationships and all that is good in your life. Another element of spirituality is learning to connect with others again. As you understand yourself and choose to act with good intentions, you’ll begin to attract and forge healthy relationships in your life.
These new healthy relationships created in early recovery will become the foundation and support in your process for recovery.
Sober living and spirituality
Choosing to live in a sober living home allows you to practice and create new routine connections, and pathways for recovery. The healthy relationships you forge wwill help you to grow and understand your meaning and purpose. As you learn to commune with others you’ll develop new behaviors and virtue.
Inside the home, your choice to become spiritual is not threatened by temptation. You can concentrate on personal growth, how you benefit the community, and your meaning and purpose. Transitioning into life in recovery with peers affords you the ability to practice spirituality in a safe comfortable environment.
You can exercise new ways to express your spirituality by taking the time to celebrate, commune, and be grateful to live with others forging their own unique paths or personal growth in recovery.
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The Lighthouse Sober Living Recovery 365 focuses on the physical, mental and spiritual change as you transition from treatment back into your personal and professional life. We are a stepping stone, A community of like-minded peers. An executive sober living home which affords you a safe place to thrive in early recovery.
We understand the importance of spirituality in our own addiction recovery, and we can guide you to discover and experience your own spirituality.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, this holiday season, is interested in sober living in Connecticut, or recovery coaching in New York City and Connecticut – contact us today for help.
Call Trey Laird 203-400-8065
