More on Starting Over
Relapse is common in recovery. In fact, the relapse rate is 40-60%. When I first went to treatment in 2015, I felt so good sober that I could not imagine ever again taking a drink. I was finally free of a toxic marriage and unhealthy work environment. I had a brilliant idea for a new business and was creating a new life for myself, one in which what I wanted and dreamed could be real. The Teen Challenge outpatient group leader and peers referrenced relapse quite often. Wondering why it was such an over-discussed topic, I halfway ignored it and doodled in my notepad. It wasn't until I woke up in jail in early June 2016 that I realized relapse is a real thing, it does happen to most addicts, and it can never be completely unexpected. In fact, there are plenty of warning signs. I was in relapse long before I took a drink. I just lacked the courage to face those things I spent so much time avoiding until it was too late. So then I did the only thing I could do. I started over.
