Connections in Recovery

I am very fortunate to maintain positive connections in recovery. I recently receive two phone calls from clients,  both in the last couple days. One was from Angelina, who underwent an opiate home detox. And the other phone call was from Robert, who underwent an alcohol home detox. Their voices on the other side of the phone immediately told me they were doing well. We felt connected!

Connections in Recovery: Angelina

Angelina had just returned from traveling abroad. She knew of my last vice, caffeine, and she called to say she picked me up some coffee beans from a Baltic country she had visited. The news about the coffee was great, but the news that she was clean and doing well was music to my ears. She was coming up on 90 days free of Oxycontin. She is expecting her first child and feels wonderful that she is treating her body in a healthy way. All indications is her child will be 100% healthy as well.

Connections in Recovery: Robert

Robert called to let me know how well he was doing. He was close to sixty days sober. This is a significant accomplishment.  Additionally, he was sending along an item we had agreed to in a barter. I wasn’t sure if he would follow through as his sobriety and his commitments have been tenuous. People can do some amazing things when they are straight and sober. The item he made me is wonderful and I will treasure it. The fact that he is doing well is the icing on the cake.

Clients, family members, and colleagues often ask my advice about aftercare planning and what is the most important thing alcoholics and drug dependent people do to stay sober. My response is invariably “connections” or “healthy connections”.  Positive connections in recovery is vital for a person that is changing the way they live, the way they behave, the way they handle stress, to have support from healthy fellow human beings.

Connections in Recovery: Executive Home Detox

Clients of Executive Home Detox get close to the nurse clinician that is caring for them. There is almost always a positive connection. We continue those connections in recovery  once we leave. We are in contact daily by phone one to two times a day for one week. We then stay in contact once a week for four weeks, and once a month for four months. This maintains a connection that is centered on sustaining recovery. This kind of support is invaluable.

Additional connections in recovery that benefit the client are often family (usually beneficial), friends that support recovery, and self-help group connections. Additionally, many clients find a spiritual advisor; priest, rabbi, pastor… helpful. The important thing is to establish and maintain connections.