In a drug and alcohol rehab program often times a client wishes the could just be free.  By this I mean they want to go somewhere else and start everything fresh and new.  Most people at one time or another wish they could start over, and be free again.  From as sobriety point of veiw this might not be a bad idea.  Leaving behind the drug using part of your social circle is a very good thing.

However there are some concerns with the "start over" dream.  The number one problem with it is that most often people are running away raather than starting over.  They are not dealing with the issues in themselves that they need to address.  You can never really start fresh if you bring your old habits and judgements with you.

If you remain the same person, you will ultimately attract the same group of people and problems in the new location.  At first it will seem exciting, but once you realize you have just changed the faces and names, but the same life will show up again.  This will truly lead to a feeling of hopelessness and depression.

There is nothing wrong with a new start.  It can be an amazing life-changing gift.  The point is, if you don't change a good portion of your old judgements and rules, it really is a big waste of time and effort.

If you do the hard work necessary to produce a new you, a rather great thing happens.  You get a new start, even if you don't change addresses.   You can change the direction of your future, your relationships and the impact you will make in the world.  In a drug and alcohol rehab center you have the chance at developing some real freedom in your life.  Choose a new address in your head, then choose a new address in your life.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 at 7:23 am and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.