Addiction & Environment

The road to a recovery is not always paved with success.  Recovering from an addiction is a process that can be painful, alternating between victory and defeat as progress is made.  These ups and downs can be discouraging.  However, while the cycle of addiction may be a three-steps-forward, two-steps-back process, the thing to remember is that recovery IS possible.

There are a couple of simple things that can be done in order to make success a more likely outcome of the struggle to leave addiction in the past.

For the recovering drug or alcohol addict, a change in environment will be one of the major factors in overcoming the addiction that has its grip on them.  An individual struggling to overcome addiction will have a much better chance of doing so if they are no longer immersed in the environment that fostered the addiction.  This change in environment can be achieved in several different ways, including inpatient or outpatient treatment programs or involvement in a support group.  However it is achieved, the objective is to replace the allure of the environment that promoted the addiction, with an environment that is positive, healthy, and helps the addict maintain their focus on achieving sobriety.

A change in routine is also important. For example, a person struggling with alcoholism should not continue to shop at the same stores where they purchased their alcohol.  The simple act of being in the same store that helped perpetuate the cycle of addiction is going to make it difficult not to fall back into old patterns of addiction.