Failing at sobriety
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Keep going
It will be hard at first, but everything gets better with time
ODAAT
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Jessa, don’t trip! I failed/relapsed tons of times in the early days. But I kept getting back up until I got it. 16 years of grateful sobriety.
I’m here if you want to talk
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You’re not failing you’re learning. You’re learning about yourself, you’re healing and you’re trying. It sucks, it’s hard, there’s ups and downs but you’re not failing. You’re here 🫶🏼
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I’m failing too
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We all have times where we have an occurrence. As long as you’re still working at it it’s not failing. Failing is when you quit all together quit posting and quit holding yourself accountable. I’m here if you need to talk
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It’s tough, no lie. So many times I said just this time. There is no easy way, that’s the truth. However, there are places to help Bridges. Free
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Hey Jessa, we fall down but, we get back up. It’s a process, keep getting back up, you got this!
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Perfectly stated.
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Don't give up, I heard relapse is a part of recovery. Keep going. One moment at a time.
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What matters is you are here and are continuing to try. You have gotten past this before and will be able to do this again! How are you feeling today?
I’m failing rn as well. Trying to find my way back.
Keep going it takes time and patience you've got this one day at a time
In early sobriety, it was essential for me to recognize and accept my human vulnerability and the impossibility of perfect performance within the recovery process.
Developing this self-compassionate stance allowed me to understand that recovery is highly individualized and rarely follows a purely linear course.
Variability, setbacks, and periods of accelerated growth are all expected components of long-term behavioral change.
This perspective became even more meaningful as I learned to situate my experience within established clinical frameworks.
Understanding the Stages of Addiction, the Stages of Change, and the Stages of Recovery provided a structured lens for interpreting my symptoms, behaviors, and progress.
Stages of Addiction:
Experimentation
Initial use driven by curiosity, peer influence, or situational factors.
Regular Use
Substance use becomes more patterned; the individual begins to rely on it for mood modification or coping.
Risky or Problematic Use
Negative consequences emerge (emotional, social, occupational), yet use continues.
Dependence
Increasing tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, loss of control, preoccupation with obtaining and using the substance.
Addiction (Substance Use Disorder)
Chronic, compulsive use despite harm; significant impairment in functioning; neurobiological changes sustain the cycle.
Stages of Change:
Precontemplation
The individual is not yet considering change and may not perceive the behavior as problematic.
Contemplation
Ambivalence emerges; the individual begins weighing the costs and benefits of change.
Preparation
Commitment to change forms; planning and small initial steps occur.
Action
Active modification of behaviors, environments, and thought patterns.
Maintenance
Sustained change with ongoing effort to prevent relapse.
Relapse (or Recycling)
A return to earlier behaviors; not a failure, but a stage that offers insight for continued progress.
Stages of Recovery:
)
Acute Stabilization
Withdrawal management, crisis stabilization, and initial safety-building.
Early Recovery
Developing insight, establishing coping strategies, increasing structure, and addressing triggers.
Middle Recovery
Rebuilding functioning across domains (social, emotional, occupational); beginning deeper therapeutic work.
Late Recovery
Addressing core beliefs, trauma, relational patterns, and long-term psychological change.
Maintenance / Ongoing Recovery
Integration of new skills, lifestyle balance, continued growth, and cultivation of meaning and identity beyond the disorder.