Category : Blogs

Sub Category : Self Help

     Willingness plays a huge, vital part in recovery. If people do not have a strong desire for sobriety, it will be hard for them to maintain it. It is possible for the individual to get sober to please other people, but such “fake-it-til-you-make-it” recoveries tend to be short-lived. This is because staying away from alcohol and drugs is hard if people are not fully willing to do all that it takes. 

     In order to build a successful life away from alcohol and drugs, the individual needs to be prepared to put in a great deal of effort. Those who lack willingness will not be able to summon the necessary determination.
Willingness can be defined as being eagerly compliant, meaning: doing something out of choice and not because of coercion (through force, for those who didn’t graduate college. Wait, ... I didn’t graduate college...). When people become willing to do something, it means their minds become more open and receptive. They may consider doing things that in the past may have appeared objectionable. Willingness is embracing change, rather than fighting it.

     It is not possible for people to find success in recovery unless they are willing to put in the necessary effort. This is because there won’t be any personal change unless the individual gives their consent for it to happen. 
     Addiction is driven by a strong urge to escape reality and hide in chemical escape and numbness. In order for recovery to take hold, there needs to be a powerful driving force supporting it. This power is provided by the willingness to change.

     Willingness is a mental attitude that can insure success in recovery from addiction. Here are its major components:
• If you are truly willing to escape your addiction, you will do whatever it takes. It involves having an open mind about any potential resource that can help them. Those who are truly willing do not have a long list of recovery options that they are not even prepared to consider.
• Willingness involves the want and desire to listen and learn from the experiences of other people.
• If you are willing to stay sober, you will make this your number-one priority in life. You will realize making a life without addiction requires a great deal of effort. It will not be achieved overnight. You must be prepared to devote however long it takes to rebuilding your life.
• If you are willing to escape addiction, you will want to make the best use of all the available resources that can help you succeed and take responsibility for your own recovery, as well as see addiction specialists as partners there to help you. You are done passively waiting for other people to fix you; now, you take action to make this happen.
• Willingness does not mean becoming passive. There is still a need to question things and make decisions. It does usually mean being a bit more open-minded about possible solutions, but that’s a good thing. 
Being close-minded is the for the weak, or pompous, or slow, simple-minded people. It’s the work off the Devil!
Good Luck!