My Views About Recovery
My views about recovery has changed a lot over the years. I came into sobriety via a “cold turkey” 12 step program approach. This approach worked for me, I will say that I had two years of relapse before I could finally get stick to sobriety. While those years of relapse where tough, they were all a part of my recovery. The first meeting that I attended, was the most impactful meeting that I have ever been to. On that day, I was totally defeated, my using gig was up and I was seeking help.
My personal view for what recovery I has changed a lot since I started Adam Banks Modern Recovery. I have learned that recovery is not linear and there is no one way. For myself, attending a lot of meetings has been the key to my recovery.
I now know that there are many more options to recovery. I have opened my mind to medically assisted treatment, something that I would have viewed as “swapping one drug for another” is the right treatment for a whole lot of people.
Observations After 10 Years of Sobriety
Continuous sobriety and recovery are not the same thing. For many people and for 12 Step programs sobriety is the only definition of recovery. Sobriety might be a goal of recovery, but the transition from full blown addiction to sobriety, cold turkey, is very difficult. Recovery is the path to getting sober.
Taking away any barriers to entering recovery is important; current addition treatment philosophy is, “A person is in recovery when they say that they are.” Recovery starts the moment that someone acts on making a change. The first meeting that they go to, the first time they seek medical help, the first program that they enter, that is the day that recovery starts. It may not be the day that continuous sobriety starts, but in might very well be the most important day in the life of someone recovering.
Let’s open our minds to the journey that is as individual as the person on the journey. Journeys of just starting out in sobriety, journeys though medical assisted treatment, journeys of tip-toeing in and out of sobriety, the journey of harm reduction. They are all on the path of recovery.
About Adam Banks
Adam Banks is a certified interventionist and the owner of Adam Banks Recovery. After receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago, Adam built a company that was later acquired by United Health Care. His discipline and attention to detail comes from his former career as an airline pilot, holding an ATP, the FAA’s highest license.
Today, Adam is dedicated to helping others achieve long-term sobriety. His work has guided executives, pilots, and physicians on paths to recovery. Adam brings families together through a loving and inclusive approach.
Adam has authored four books on addiction. His recent work, Navigating Recovery Ground School: 12 Lessons to Help Families Navigate Recovery, educates families on the entire intervention process. He also offers a free video course for families considering an intervention for a loved one.
Adam is available for alcohol and drug intervention services in New York, Long Island, the Hamptons as well as nationally and internationally.
