What is Recovery?

December 23rd, 2024

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”.