The Importance of Staying Accountable in Recovery
Overcoming drug addiction is very difficult. At times, people dealing with drug misuse and dependence find it challenging to connect to others. This lack of connection is because substances and alcohol affect people’s cognitive patterns, emotions, and behaviors in most cases. It’s hard for these people to interact with other people since many suffering from substance abuse struggle with shame, depression, and guilt.
That’s why people with addiction issues often keep to themselves to avoid facing the truth about the addiction to alcohol or any other drugs. Some even fear seeking treatment from professionals because they don’t know how to open up about their substance use. Admitting to drug use can be difficult. It’s hard for many people dealing with drug addiction to be accountable even when they’re receiving treatment.
Friends and Accountability
Having a circle of family, friends, and counselors in your life to check your actions and thoughts is very vital. It helps you focus on the things that matter without deviating along the way. Therefore, if you’re undergoing treatment for drug dependence and addiction, what matters is beating your addiction to live a healthy life. Still, being accountable is not easy. Accountability proves to be a challenge for many people, especially during recovery. Since accountability plays a crucial role in recovery during a person’s treatment, a lack of it makes it difficult for people to acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions. Embracing accountability in life gives you the tools needed to remain sober during and after treatment.
The Results of Avoiding Accountability in Recovery
It’s common for people dealing with drug misuse to struggle with accountability. Some even evade the idea of being accountable completely. Yet again, taking responsibility and maintaining your course throughout recovery is difficult. On occasions, treatment can help people reflect on their drug abuse and manage the problems in their lives, which can be a harsh and very unpleasant process. That’s why many people avoid the idea of accountability. Those who avoid accountability while receiving treatment usually:
• Fail to accept responsibility for their actions while using
• Do not acknowledge the intensity of the drug problem
• Deny any prior alcohol or substance use
• Blame others when they relapse
• Fail to follow all the steps towards recovery
• Become irritated when recovery doesn’t happen on time and show passive-aggressive behaviors.
So, the reasons above are some of the setbacks for individuals trying to overcome drug addiction. Without accountability, people undergoing treatment, therapy, and counseling will struggle to break free from the bondage of addiction.
If you’re not ready to take responsibility for your actions, you will struggle to deal with stressors healthily and effectively. Blaming others for your problems hinders you from finding a solution, but drug abuse treatment centers are supposed to help solve addiction-related issues.
However, those people avoiding accountability create obstacles that will stop them from resolving their addiction. And failing to stay accountable during therapy makes it more difficult to overcome addiction.
How Addicts Avoid Accountability
Many people define accountability as taking responsibility for your behaviors and actions. However, the definition becomes more specific regarding recovery from drug addiction. Yes, accountability in recovery is about taking responsibility; still, there’s more to it. Individuals who are fighting to overcome addiction often strain to stay on track. Since their bodies and brains have grown dependent on drugs, breaking the mental and physical pattern cycle of stressors and cravings can be challenging. Some people in treatment sometimes have trouble being patient and struggle to focus on the benefits of recovery. Being accountable in such situations helps individuals to stay on course.
People struggling with addiction, on many occasions, like to blame the drugs they’re using for their behaviors and actions. They also use their habits to excuse themselves when it’s convenient. Some may even use their addiction to avoid dealing with certain emotions. That’s why recovery calls for people to face their actions, behaviors, and situations head-on to begin the process of healing. It’s one of the biggest challenges for those who are in recovery, but helping those in recovery to face difficulties that they had previously run away from motivates them. It encourages the patient to change and be better in order to live a sober life, and its accountability that helps people maintain this motivation throughout their recovery.
12-step Programs and Accountability
Clients usually select a continuous 12-step treatment program when they seek professional support. If you’re considering taking a 12-step program, you will eventually need a sponsor. Getting a sponsor is the first step towards accountability. Having someone to support you to recover from addiction inspires your journey to recovery. They are a great first step to model accountability. Having someone to be directly accountable to helps clients to identify and stay away from damaging patterns throughout their treatment.
Importance of Accountability During Treatment
Accountability is an important aspect of treatment. Patients who feel accountable for their sobriety and commitment to their treatment team are more likely to experience success than those who do not. Below are some of the benefits of accountability to your treatment.
1. It Can Help You Remain on Course
Relapsing during treatment and recovery is very easy due to many temptations along the journey. However, when you have accountability partners, especially individuals who have successfully gone through treatment like a sponsor, the path becomes more accessible. Your partner will guide you through the rough patches of your recovery and help you stay on the road to getting better.
Additionally, having an accountability partner can be helpful in case you suffer a relapse. Even though relapsing is part of addiction recovery, it can be devastating if there’s no one to help you get back up on your feet. However, having an accountability partner will help and support you to return to a program and get back on course. Since they are also going through their own recovery, they are typically very understanding about slip-ups and have a number of different ways to help you start sobriety again. Being accountable to sponsor during addiction treatment is essential in helping you stay on track.
2. It Motivates You
Drug addiction treatment and recovery take time because of various reasons. During this time, it’s easy to lose sight of your goal, which is to shake your addiction tendencies. Plus, you may feel the need to give up on your recovery. You cannot avoid having these thoughts of giving up, but do not give in to them. An accountability partner can help you stay motivated and focused on staying sober.
3. It Can Help You Identify Areas of Weakness
Your accountability partner in substance use treatment can identify problems that you may not see. Clients have different triggers that lead to relapsing. At times, it’s difficult for recovering clients to identify their triggers and weaknesses. But having the right accountability partner will help determine your weaknesses. With this, you will be able to recognize any signs of a potential relapse and seek help. Addiction services offer accountability for this purpose, so don’t wait to suffer a relapse to get an accountability partner. Having the right accountability partner makes you work on your triggers to become a more robust recovering client.
4. You Get to Celebrate Your Milestones
In an addiction treatment journey, there are milestones to celebrate. However, people can only applaud your milestones if they are aware of them, and this is another reason to have a sponsor because the right partner will always honor your milestones. Celebrating your milestones also helps keep track of your progress, lighten your mood, and avoid possibly relapsing. Having celebrations for your milestones gives you something to look forward to and encourages you to keep going strong while acting as a source of encouragement.
5. It Helps You Remain Honest With Yourself and Your Treatment Team
Being honest with yourself is an essential element of recovery. When you remain honest with your treatment team, you strengthen your relationship with them. As a result, you can receive the necessary treatment to help remain sober.
How Do You Maintain Accountability During Recovery?
Many addicts find it difficult to stay accountable to their treatment plan when they relapse. It’s critical to have a support system in place that can help you maintain accountability. Some of the things you can do to stay accountable include:
1. Find an Accountability Partner
Many addiction treatment programs insist on the importance of befriending people who understand your recovery efforts. Apart from having an accountability partner who you can turn to when you’re triggered, it would help if you embraced friendship with an accountability partner who can help you remain devoted to the recovery plan and be there for you.
2. Adopt Good Habits
Clients in alcohol or drug rehab should adopt healthy habits to maintain accountability. These habits include getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, working out, practicing self-care, and developing interests to keep busy in recovery.
3. Set Schedules
A successful recovery journey depends on a person’s commitment to treatment. If you have trouble with accountability, set schedules and boundaries to help you stay on course. Most outpatient and inpatient treatment facilities have plans to help encourage responsibility. Strategies can reduce the risks of relapsing because they protect against urges and cravings while aiding recovery support.
4. Set Goals
It is essential to set realistic and flexible goals that focus on accountability. Achieving goals will reduce feeling guilty, ashamed, or anxious and help you work towards a sense of pride in your substance use disorder treatment.
4. Avoid Triggers
Sometimes, accountability can be challenging to maintain. Make sure you identify triggers for relapse. For instance, you may want to avoid attending parties with alcohol because you may feel the need to drink in that environment. Always be mindful of such personal aspects to prevent relapse. A relapse prevention plan and mental health treatment play an important role in fighting emotionally triggering places, people, and situations.
During recovery, it’s always important that you stay on track. You should ensure that you maintain your sobriety with the right treatment program. And as a part of this process, we recommend that you have a support system rooted in accountability. This way, you will be able to identify triggers and prevent relapses. At Granite Recovery Centers, we understand how accountability is vital for growth and healing during substance abuse treatment. We offer different programs that cater to recovery needs. Call us today if you have any questions about the programs listed on our website.
