The importance of community to overcome drug addiction
Do you enjoy a good barbecue? Even if you don’t, it will grow on you because food cooked on coals is a whole other vibe. The smoky flavour and the trapped juices make for a mouth watering treat. The hero of the barbecue is the coal though, not the meat. Pieces of coal are set on fire and place in the oven and fanned into flame. Within a few minutes you have a roaring fire on which food can be comfortably cooked. Here’s the thing though, if you take a single hot coal and leave it side for a while it will gradually lose its glow and eventually become completely cold. To revive it would take a while.
You are a lot like that coal. You will find that you thrive and shine while in community. Without relationships you would find that you lose your sense of purpose and direction. When trying to get out of a drug addiction you will need to surround yourself with people who will journey with you for the long haul. It would be disastrous to try and make it alone.
You were not meant for isolation
If you thought you could find healing and restoration while alone, think again.
When navigating de-addiction and the road to recovery you will need friends and family with you. Your addiction may have been a personal journey but the recovery can be a communal one. You must be open to sharing this part of your life with those who love you and mean well for you.
Choose your people
The people you surround yourself with are all important. They need to be those who understand your vision for recovery. They should be willing to stick around for the long haul with its ups and downs. They should be made aware that this journey will get complicated on and off. They should have tender yet firm hearts that can love you as you are yet hold you accountable.
Be wise
Make sure you wisely choose who you should surround yourself with. Don’t choose people around whom you have made poor choices with, in the past. Don’t choose those who are impatient and have no knowledge of how an addiction works. You need those who can see your recovery as a process and not as a moment.
Get vulnerable
Once you choose your people, get ready for the journey to healing. This journey will require you to be vulnerable many times about the lows you are experiencing and the struggles you are feeling. Your community won’t have purpose unless you invite them into your life, however dramatic it seems. Vulnerability is not weakness but a sign of strength as it shows your commitment to get help.
Reach out when you would rather fold in
There will be days when you feel hopeless in your battle against addiction. You may even slip in to old ways. It doesn’t matter if you have a village that is ready to jump into the battle with you and pick up the pieces with you. Don’t let fear and shame hold you down. Reach out to your people and allow them to walk with you to freedom.
If you are in need of help out of a drug addiction get in touch with us. You will find that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that you don’t have to walk alone anymore.
