Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

March 31, 2014

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. –Walter Elliott

Change is not one long process.  It is repeatedly managing similar situations over and over again and tweaking them until you get it right.  Addicts who are in a relapse cycle find this out.  Between relapses, they often feel positive about their recovery and ability to stay sober.  However, the addictive urge and the desire to act out returns.  This does not mean their work between relapses was not good.  It simply means the next challenge to their recovery has arrived; the next “short race” has started.

Am I assuming that the positive changes I have put in place are permanent?  What would change if I saw this time of relief not as a permanent state but as a time of preparation for the next challenge?  How can I prepare for the next “short race?”