Lisa P - Connection
Connection is a vital element of my recovery journey. Connection is required daily to maintain well-being and to keep my emotions in check. Drinking (alcohol) for some time, meant that I blocked and numbed my emotions. Instead of understanding and processing them, I drunk on them. Therefore, I never truly understood the root cause or trigger as to why I was feeling the way I was feeling.
It's important for me to connect with others on a daily basis now, to understand my emotional state. I know now that if I have a problem or if I don't feel quite right, I need to communicate with others within the recovery community to try and find the source of these emotions. This will help me to determine whether action needs to be taken. For example, self-care, meditation or exercise to lift my mood/release negative emotions.
As well as keeping my emotional state and well-being in check, connection is vital to my recovery because it gives me a sense of belonging. Being part of the recovery community is wonderful. I can support others on their journey of recovery and they can support me also. Peer support groups also help to strengthen recovery and the connection in the room provides much strength and positivity to each individual.
As well as education about addiction and recovery, tools and knowledge are also provided to help prevent relapses. The most important thing here is a family/friendship/social connection. This enables all of us in recovery to feel part of society in our own way, without any judgement. We all understand each other because we have been through similar experiences and we can also learn from one another giving hope and courage along the way.
I personally believe there is a psychological need to be connected to others in recovery and without connection the chances of relapse could be much higher.
I chose this photo because the lines on the Love Heart Sculpture remind me of how we all connect together, from different walks of life. We all walk our own path, but we join together to reinforce one another to make recovery possible.
