There are a lot of different factors involved in someone’s recovery from addiction. Each day brings new challenges that need to be overcome to stay on a healthy path to sobriety. However, it is this challenge that makes recovery worth the time that one spends in therapy. There is a power in having to pass through a rite of passage in recovery. Despite the difficulties, there is strength in overcoming each and every one of the trials that someone experiences on their own recovery path. Going through these rites of passage instills power and motivation in each person to continue pushing forward through future challenges to come.
What Is a Rite of Passage?
A rite of passage is something that marks an important time in someone’s life. They are major events that cause someone to fundamentally change their way of thinking or behaving. They are markers of someone’s path in life, such as their birth, marriage, or having children. These rites serve as moments in time that define a major trial in someone’s life. In someone’s path to recovery, these rites of passage can take on a more nuanced definition. The markers for change can be someone’s low point, as well as major markers of success. From the first time that someone admits they may need assistance with an addiction to their first full year of sobriety, there are a few key moments that help each individual dictate their own change in lifestyle. These rites of passage are unique to each person and will hold a very profound meaning for every individual who goes through recovery. Passing through these major times of change can be scary, but these experiences are also necessary for internalizing the reason behind a sustained, long-term recovery. Each and every challenge and rite of passage is a way to test someone on the practical use of their therapy and continue to develop, eventually gaining agency over their addiction and becoming an alumnus in the community.
Times of Change are Times of Progress
These rites of passage may be difficult. They can often coincide with movement between different kinds of treatment, such as from moving from residential treatment to an intensive outpatient program. While stressful, these rites are things to be celebrated. This movement between phases of recovery and life are not only indicative of someone setting their goals for success, but they are the payoff of achieving great strides in recovery. It is not just that someone is getting a chance to move on in their lives, it is that they have earned the ability to do so. Going through these rites of passage are not the instigators of change, but rather, they are reflective of the change that someone has already made on their own, with their own strength and determination in their recovery. It is a moment that is personal to each individual, and is earned by each individual. It is something that is wholly one’s own, and a success that cannot be taken away. While someone may have many stresses ahead when going through one of these rites of passage, they are always accompanied by an air of success in one’s journey.
Passage to Alumnus
One of the most influential parts of any recovery is the input of an alumnus or group of alumni. These people have not only been at their own lowest points, but they have also overcome them and are beacons of what success can look like for each and every person. Their presence in a therapy session can be encouraging on its own as they make success and sobriety a tangible possibility rather than an abstract goal. Most importantly, an alumnus is someone who has gone through each of these rites of passage and emerged as a strong community member. Alumni create a cornerstone of motivation for each other person in the group to not only continue their journey to sobriety but also stand as strong members who have been through their own rites and used the opportunity to strengthen themselves and others. Those who are new to recovery or who have been struggling along their path can envision their success when they see these individuals, and it can be a reminder that success in recovery is possible.
There is power in passing through each rite of passage that someone comes across. They are tests of motivation that are intended to be extraordinarily difficult. However, these successes are the things that someone can look back on at any point in their recovery and experience the pride and triumph that comes with overcoming such an intense trial in their path to sobriety.
Everyone will have their own challenges throughout recovery, and new skills will be required to address each obstacle that arises. The programs available at Emerge Recovery are available to help you gain the skills you need to identify your own recovery path and rites of passage while being able to address them at your own pace. The journey of sobriety is a long and difficult one and having the right people and strategies around to help you can aid in every rite of passage that someone may face in their own journey. Emerge Recovery’s various programs are also available virtually, so there is always an option that can meet your unique needs and availability. For more information on the various kinds of programs available at Emerge Recovery, from group therapy to equine therapy, contact one of the professionals today at 888.273.8624 or set up a free, 30-minute consultation to discover how recovery at Emerge Center for Addiction Recovery may be right for you.
