It seems obvious that overcoming addiction and substance abuse will take strength for the long, trying ordeal. It seems less obvious that one can find such strength in their own vulnerability. Yet this seemingly contradictory paradox is at the core of finding the impetus to fully conquer addiction and find the way forward to a lasting recovery.
Only by finding strength in vulnerability can the recovering addict truly find success.
We are taught to value strength from an early age. It is natural to respect power and ability, to seek to emulate those who can overcome great odds to achieve victory. We like winners and wish to be winners ourselves.
We are less excited about vulnerability. It reminds us of pain and suffering, of weakness, of the danger of loss and defeat. Vulnerability appears to be the opposite of strength and we instinctively try to avoid it whenever possible.
But, paradoxically, recovering addicts have much more to gain from embracing their vulnerability rather than trying to push through with strength. In fact, only through finding strength IN vulnerability can the addict truly make progress and reach a lasting recovery.
Strength sounds like the more valuable trait to pursue in treatment, but strength cannot overcome addiction on its own. The number of people who have dug deep into their inner reservoirs of willpower and overcome substance abuse on their own is nearly zero. Addiction is a disease that weakens a person from the inside and uses their own strength against them, redirecting priorities to feed itself rather than allowing the addict to marshal any resources against substance abuse.
Relying on your strength to try and defeat addiction is not a winning strategy. It leads to trying to do it on your own, to avoiding therapy and treatment options that can actually assist you and, ultimately, it leads to failure.
The addict who embraces their vulnerability, however, can find true strength on the other side.
The addict who understands they can’t beat addiction on their own, that their substance abuse is a problem that must be addressed and they need help to do so – that is an addict who understands their own vulnerability and is prepared to own up to it and then push past it to fight their addiction.
At Good Landing Recovery, patients have already accepted their vulnerability to some degree just by entering rehab. But there is more. They must voluntarily enter into the therapy with an open mind and an understanding they are not alone and they have help to overcome their addiction. Treatment will provide them with other strategies and coping mechanisms that lean into their vulnerable side to discover the true strength within, not the false bravado that folds in the face of addiction’s corrosive nature.
Understand: you are not strong enough to beat addiction on your own. No one is. But if you can accept that and accept your vulnerability, you can get help from others to supplement your strength and find your way to a lasting recovery.