What is Recovery?

By P. Casey Arrillaga, LCSW, LCDC

Recovery is a word that gets used a lot around mental health, especially addiction. Despite talking about it so much, many people don’t stop to think about what the word really means, let alone what it might look like in their own lives and that of those they love. This post will explore what recovery means, and how it can apply for you and your family.

What’s in a name?

To recover is to get back to a previously better state after things have gotten bad for some period of time. In other words, to recover, someone or something has to be doing well, experience a sudden or gradual decline in functioning, and then get back to doing well. For example, when the economy goes into a recession, then it comes back, we would say we are in an economic recovery.

Some people also use the term “recovery” to describe the process of coming back, not just when things are good again. When used in this way, we might look for signs of progress, such as everything moving consistently in a positive direction, rather than waiting for perfection. We often hear it used this way when talking about recovery from addiction and other mental health struggles, since these are often chronic conditions. Thus, there may never be a time when things are just as they were before they got bad, but we can recognize that they are getting better and on the right track.

It is helpful to recognize that recovery from mental health struggles is not a smooth path or a straight line. In some cases, the person afflicted and their families may not have much memory of a time when things were going well mentally, so they wouldn’t even know what to use as a benchmark. Additionally, with chronic conditions such as addiction or anxiety, there can never be a guarantee that things won’t get bad again. Thus, many people refer to themselves as being “in recovery” but never consider themselves as “fully recovered.” This may serve as a way to think realistically about their situation, and also can act as reminder to stay engaged in recovery activity.

It is vital to know that people who have serious mental health issues in one area rarely have problems in that area alone. In fact, the phenomenon of one person having multiple mental health challenges is so common that it is now best recognized as the norm rather than something unusual. For instance, someone with an addiction may have several compulsive behaviors besides the most obvious one. If that wasn’t enough, they likely also struggle with anxiety, depression, and/or other mental health challenges. Thus, a person can be in recovery around one issue while still doing badly with another, and they can be in differing stages of recovery around each mental health challenge.

Recovery is not a word or idea that only applies to the person with the most obvious issues. When one person is suffering from mental health challenges, including addiction, everyone around them is affected. Not surprisingly, these effects are felt most by those closest to that person, such as family and other loved ones. This means that these people also need recovery from the turmoil and upset that so often go with mental health struggles. While this can be hard for some people to recognize, once they see it, miracles can happen if multiple people in a family embrace recovery.

How Do We Use This Knowledge to Help People?

At Windmill, we understand that there is much more to recovery than stopping a given behavior or reducing a painful symptom. We know that recovery involves discovering and healing underlying causes and conditions. It means taking a deeper look on a regular basis. It involves helping everyone in the family, not just the person with the most obvious struggles. That’s why we offer so many helping techniques, use advanced data gathering and analysis, and offer help to the whole family. We help clients and families see the many issues at play in recovery and how they impact each other. We point clients and their families toward all the helpful groups and resources around them. We offer a lot of ongoing support and encouragement to our alumni clients and their families.

We do all this through our depth of experience and expertise, by using the best proven techniques while also incorporating the most promising new ideas such as Trac9 data analytics to improve treatment outcomes, NET, multiple trauma-processing modalities, by offering many paths to recovery rather than forcing everyone to try to fit a predetermined mold, through our extensive family group and individual offerings, and most importantly by creating an atmosphere in which recovery feels safe and welcoming for everyone involved.

The Bottom Line

The word “recovery” means a lot more than may appear at first glance. It applies to more than just addiction, even though that may be what most people think of first. Everyone around the person with the most obvious struggles also needs recovery, and it is available to them. Wherever you and your family are in your recovery journey, there is help available.

About The Author

P. Casey Arrillaga is the Team Leader for Education at Windmill Wellness Ranch, and he is the author of books including “Realistic Hope: The Family Survival Guide for Facing Alcoholism and Other Addictions”.