In our last post, we discussed values and how they play a role in recovery. Now, in addition to assessing our personal values, National Recovery Month encourages us to consider the values of the recovery community (which of course should include all of us because recovery is for everyone).
According to Faces & Voices of Recovery, our shared values should include:
- Authenticity — being true to ourselves and taking responsibility for mistakes
- Integrity — adhering consistently to strong ethical principles and values in all situations
- Wellness — pursuing activities, making choices, and living a lifestyle that leads to a healthy mind and body
- Diversity — including people of different identities, backgrounds, cultures, and communities
- Equality & Equity — ensuring that everyone has the opportunities they need to maximize their recovery journey
The recovery community is essential to success because, for each of us to optimize our journey, we have to be able to take control and exercise choices over the services and supports that are available. You deserve access to the solutions that you believe are most likely to bring you success. Being empowered to make our own decisions about our recovery journey is one of the ways we regain control and autonomy in our lives, and that’s critical to the process.
So, our community needs to go beyond acceptance of each other and take pride in our diversity. We should celebrate the many ways that we can engage in healing. We can meet each other where we are and acknowledge each person’s needs and experiences across identities, backgrounds, cultures, and communities.
By living our values — these recovery values and others —it becomes obvious that we really mean it when we say recovery is for everyone.
* Faces & Voices of Recovery is a voluntary group of leaders serving the addiction recovery community: https://facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/
