Admitting to Your Sponsor that You Relapsed

Addiction recovery is a long, slippery uphill journey. At some point, you’ll probably lose your footing and start to slide off the mountain. When that happens, you can catch yourself. Grab hold of everything you’ve learned in recovery so far and call out to your sponsor for help. After he or she helps you up off the pavement, you can figure out why you fell in the first place and how you can be more careful going forward.

Admitting to a Relapse

Shame over the past is all that stands in the way of improvement. For recovering addicts, whose behavior was destructive enough to land them in treatment, feelings of shame are natural, but not necessarily logical. Drug addiction changes our behavior and actions. Your sobriety sponsor won’t judge you, scorn you, or make you feel like a disappointment. They actually guarantee something not even licensed therapists can offer–real, personal empathy. They’re not just volunteers–they’re recovering addicts just like you. On top of their own personal experiences, they gain a lot of insight from the hundreds of addicts they encounter in meetings. Their value cannot be overstated.

Choosing a Good Sponsor

Sponsors are great in general, but you’ll want to pick the best of the best. Ideally he or she will have worked with the 12 steps before. AA isn’t the only way to live sober, but if you’ve chosen it as your route, you’ll want the best possible navigator. Also, make sure they’re flexible. Relapse-triggers occur unexpectedly, with unpredictable degrees of strength. They don’t just follow a schedule.

Lastly, pick a sponsor of your own gender. Nothing gets in the way of spiritual growth quite like romantic feelings. There are many options for forming romantic bonds and getting back into the dating world in recovery but romantic entanglements with a sponsor dilute the supportive nature of the relationship.

For help and resources regarding your addiction and recovery, contact the experts at Blueprints for Recovery today; (888) 744-9969