Drug addiction is a powerful disease that is not simple to treat and the road to recovery is a long one. Those in recovery often seek the help of either a counselor, drug counselor or 12-step program, if not a combination of the three and more. A drug counselor or a 12-step program generally has charted out paths to recovery, and frequently has exercises and worksheets the recovering addicts
. works on, in addition to talking through issues and the struggle of staying sober.In the 12-step system, for instance, exercises and worksheets are linked to the 12 steps of the program. A sponsor will work with the newly recovering addict to explore:* Step 1 - Powerlessness over the addiction* Step 2 - Belief a greater Power could help* Step 3 - Decision to turn it over to God* Step 4 - Searching & fearless moral inventory of self* Step 5 - Admitted the exact nature of our wrongs to God, self and others* Step 6 - Ready for God to remove these defects of character* Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings* Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends* Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible* Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it* Step 11 - Used prayed and meditation to understand God's will and carry it out* Step 12 - Continue to carry this message to other addicts and to live it.A worksheet on Step 9, for example, might ask the person in recovery to explore the list of those harmed and why making amends, apologizing, could be beneficial for the person, and why it might be harmful. By exploring and mapping this out, it's far more likely the person will approach it as only happening for the good of the harmed person, rather than for him or herself.These worksheets can be easier for some to do to think of as tasks, rather than a journal. Keeping it to bite-sized pieces also helps the overwhelming task of changing a persons' entire approach to life.More reference links: http://www.soberrecovery.com http://www.cyberrecovery.net
