Abstinence
The deliberate choice to completely avoid consuming alcohol or drugs. While abstinence is the foundation of sobriety, it differs from full recovery because it addresses only the physical act of not using substances.
Recovery Principles
Core principles and psychology of successful recovery
15 terms
Acceptance
Acknowledging reality as it is, including one's addiction and its consequences, without trying to deny, minimize, or change it through substances. Acceptance creates the foundation for making positive changes and finding peace in recovery.
HALT
An acronym reminding people to check if they're Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired before making decisions. These four physical and emotional states can cloud judgment and increase relapse risk if not addressed promptly.
Higher Power
A source of strength greater than oneself that helps maintain sobriety, which can be God, nature, the recovery group, or any spiritual concept. This principle acknowledges that willpower alone often isn't enough to overcome addiction.
One Day at a Time
A recovery philosophy focusing on staying sober just for today rather than worrying about lifelong abstinence. This approach makes recovery manageable by breaking it into 24-hour segments, reducing overwhelm and building confidence through daily successes.
Powerlessness
Recognition that attempts to control substance use have failed and that willpower alone cannot stop addiction. This admission opens the door to accepting help and following recovery programs instead of relying on failed self-management.
Recovery
The ongoing process of healing from alcohol use disorder, characterized by fundamental changes in mindset and relationship with alcohol rather than mere abstinence. True recovery transforms how a person thinks about and relates to alcohol.
Relapse
The return to substance use after a period of abstinence. Relapse is often a process that begins with emotional and mental changes before actual drug or alcohol use occurs, and it signals the need for renewed treatment or support.
Relapse Prevention
A strategic approach using tools like identifying triggers, developing coping skills, and creating action plans to maintain sobriety. Effective prevention includes recognizing early warning signs and having immediate support systems in place.
Remission
A clinical term describing a period where alcohol use disorder symptoms are reduced or absent. While medical frameworks use stages like 'early remission' and 'sustained remission,' some recovery philosophies view lasting sobriety as a complete transformation rather than ongoing symptom management.
Serenity
A state of inner peace and calm that comes from accepting what cannot be changed and changing what can be. In recovery, serenity replaces the chaos of addiction with emotional stability and contentment.
Sobriety
A state of not being intoxicated by alcohol or other drugs. In recovery, it extends beyond physical abstinence to include emotional and mental clarity, improved judgment, and a commitment to living without substances.
Surrender
The act of admitting defeat over addiction and accepting that self-will alone cannot achieve sobriety. Surrender isn't weakness but rather the courageous first step toward seeking help and following recovery guidance.
Trigger
Any person, place, emotion, or situation that increases the urge to use substances. Triggers can be external like bars or old using friends, or internal like stress or boredom, and identifying them is crucial for relapse prevention.
Unmanageability
The chaos and destruction that results when addiction controls one's life, affecting relationships, work, finances, and self-respect. Recognizing unmanageability helps people understand why they need a new approach to living.