Relapse
“There will be times, however, when we really feel like using. We want to run, and
we feel lousy. We need to be reminded of where we came from and that it will be
worse this time. This is when we need the program the most”
Basic Text, p. 78
If we’re contemplating a relapse, we should think our using through to the bitter
ends. For many of us, those ends would include severe medical problems,
imprisonment, or even death. How many of us have known people who relapsed
after many years clean, only to die from their disease?
But there is a death that accompanies a return to active addiction that may be worse
than physical death. That is the spiritual death we experience when we are separated
from our Higher Power. If we use, the spiritual relationship we have nurtured over
the years will weaken and perhaps disappear. We will feel truly alone.
There is no doubt that we have periods of darkness in our recovery. There is only
one way we can make it through those troubling times: with faith. If we believe that
our Higher Power is with us, then we know that all will be well.
No matter how badly we may feel in our recovery, a relapse is never the answer.
Together, we find recovery. If we stay clean, the darkness will lift and we will find a
deeper connection to our Higher Power.
Just for today: I thank my Higher Power for the gift of NA. I know that relapse is not
the way out. Whatever challenges I face, I will face them with the God of my
understanding.
pg. 64