“There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.”
Sun Tzu, Chinese Military Strategist
On your road to recovery there will be both ups and downs that will make you question your way. The downs can be very low. You could feel hopeless. You might feel like you haven’t moved forward one inch. You might think that you are lost in a ineffectual fate that ends in surrender to your greatest enemy, your own addiction. Let me just say to you now before moving any further (because it’s more important than almost anything else I can say to you), you are most not stuck in some kind of inevitable destiny that ends in a losing collision course with addiction. You aren’t. You have choices to make, you have the free will and courage to fight this. I know it is so because you’ve already asked for help. You’ve made it through medically supervised alcohol detox and a South Florida drug rehab. There’s a lot of work to do and a lot of healthy and sober choices to make as you continue moving forward, and the good news is you have the foundational knowledge to make them. You’re going to make it.
You should feel good. You’ve shown that you have grit and resilience. You can look fear in the face, even when fear looks like the unknown of a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Florida. A place you had to face your fears, overcome years long trauma, grapple with dual diagnosis. You’ve run marathons. But don’t get cocky either. Do not underestimate your enemy. Addiction is indefatigable and tenacious. It doesn’t rest. That is why in rehab you learn that you have to chose to live a sober life every day. Everytime someone offers you a drink or a hit, you have to actively make the choice to walk away. The moment you start underestimating what a hold your addiction had on your body and mind, the harder it is to stay sober.
