Relapse is an extremely common part of the recovery process. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse, the relapse rate for substance abuse (i.e alcohol and hard drugs) is 40%-60%. With these numbers in mind, if you or a loved one is going through a relapse, understanding that relapse is a normal part of the journey can help to show you the light at the end of the tunnel.

With this in mind, it’s important to consider drug and alcohol recovery as a complex and challenging journey, one that takes courage, passion, and time. It’s necessary to see the journey to recovery as simply that, a journey. There will be many roadblocks, and there is not one final destination. The individual going down this path will have to consistently put in the hard work and effort needed to aim for a sustainable sobriety. 

This is where the 3 Ps of Recovery can help.

What Are the 3 Ps of Recovery?

The 3 Ps of Recovery refers to the traits that anyone would need to succeed during recovery. It’s not to say that individuals going through the stages lack these personal traits, but recovery will put a much bigger emphasis on them. In short, the 3 Ps are what those recovering from substance abuse need to rely on to be successful with sustainable sobriety. They become your “why?”

Purpose 

It’s common not to know our purpose when you first enter recovery. After all, it may seem that your life is being flipped upside-down and that everything you know has now changed. This is why it’s important for one of your first exercises during your recovery journey is to figure out and determine your sense of purpose. 

A sense of purpose can be defined as the desire to hold a deeply-held goal, pursue a dream, or accomplish something new. A sense of purpose is subjective and can change from person to person. There’s no right answer to what your purpose may be in sobriety, but know that a purpose will help us find new sources of energy, inspiration, and strength. And when we have a renewed feeling of strength, we’re able to push through when challenges arise. 

Practice

Sobriety and recovery is one long journey full of practice. Practicing changing how you think, practicing changing your actions, and practicing how you respond to certain things in your life. This doesn’t happen overnight, after all - practice makes perfect, and that’s completely normal. 

Recovery requires deep-seated change, and in order to be successful at it, you have to truly dig in to hone your skills through practice. Think of your recovery as something you practice like a new instrument or a new craft, and expect to have some setbacks. Recovery requires you to repeat these behaviors over and over again, so much so that they can feel uncomfortable and awkward. Chances are, you’ll naturally be averse to all these new habits, so you’ll need to practice them day in and day out to feel comfortable. 

Your goal should be that continued practice of these habits will become part of your daily life, and in time, you won’t even need to think about them.

Perseverance

Both your purpose and your practice lead to creating the perseverance to get you through. Successful, sustainable recovery doesn’t happen by attending a 30-day, 60-day, or 90-day treatment program. While treatment centers are helpful, and often necessary, for individuals to learn coping skills and mechanisms to deal with their addictions, it is up to you to continue on with what you have learned after. It is up to you to take the lessons learned in your rehab, and persevere with them for the rest of your life. 

Begin a New Chapter with Never Alone Recovery

It’s important to know and accept that recovery is a marathon that is never really complete. Just like an artist is never at the end of their creativity cycle, you will never be at the end of your recovery journey. And that is okay- we encourage you to embrace this fact. Doing so will push you to persevere through every single day.

Embracing the 3 Ps of Recovery will help you get through everything that sobriety throws in your path; the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you are looking for more information on coping skills through the recovery process, our team at Never Alone Recovery is here to help you. We want to make sure you feel supported and seen every step of the way - and we can help you with how to choose the right drug rehab and alcohol rehab in Indiana and the rest of the country, to specifically suit your needs.

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