Sprinters vs. Marathon Runners: An Addiction Recovery Parable
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Having been in recovery for a little over 25 years, I have had many experiences with men who come to the process of addiction recovery for the first time as well as those with relapse history.
I have observed over and over again that a mentality of being a sprinter does not lead to permanent sobriety and if fact often leads to relapse.
Most of relapse prevention should focus on teaching alcoholics and drug addicts about assuming the marathon runner’s attitude towards our own personal recovery. Its done one day at a time, one step at a time, one meeting at a time and it continues seven days a week all year long, year after year.
That is far different from the sprinter who might train only a few days a week, does a lot of short burst work and runs a much shorter race.
If I surrender to the illness of alcoholism and drug addiction and the solution via the 12 step program (keeping in mind we do not have a monopoly on how to recover), then I will adopt the marathon runners attitude towards recovery and one day will lead to a month to a year to many years.
Happy running…
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Adam;
You compare long term recovery to that of a marathon runner and I think that is a good and valid analogy. I also believe that there is a fundamental difference between those members using the spiritual tools to stay sober and those using psychological tricks and tips to stay sober.
To me the 12 steps are 9 spiritual lessons and 3 spiritual exercises to learn the
principles called for in step 12 part 2. That is “practice these principles in all our affairs.”
It is principles, not psychology that keeps a member sober in the long run. Not that there are no members that benefit from the tricks and tips offered at the non-literature AA meetings found in most areas. Some people just come to AA to solve their “back problems”. They want to get their license back, their job back or their spouse/family back.
For these people tricks and tips may just do the job because they have no desire to stop drinking permanently. They should not to be counted as failures. They are simply not ready for life-long spiritual sobriety.