Creating Your Survival Kit and Finding Your Identity at Hawaii Island Recovery

Addiction is a disease that affects every aspect of daily life, and those living with an addiction to drugs or alcohol and navigating the effects of substance use disorder (SUD) face a myriad of challenges. For those like John Burke, continued use of drugs or alcohol can even feel like a survival mechanism despite the damage that these substances can do to a person’s physical health, mental health, and even identity. However, Burke’s time in substance abuse treatment in Hawaii empowered change, not just to help him confront addiction and its effects but also to create a new, healthy, and sober survival kit to embark on a journey of self-discovery and identity. 

Addiction is an incredibly devastating disease, and those living with addiction may find it difficult to cease the use of drugs or alcohol even after experiencing the destructive consequences of substance use. 

Burke explains his experience with addiction as a hole within himself that needed to be filled with external sources  –  particularly drugs and alcohol. Substance use may even feel necessary for survival. For some, this can be because addictive substances are ingrained into daily life, making their use feel as routine and essential as food or water. Others may feel that addictive substances are necessary as a coping skill for other challenges, such as trauma, stress, or mental health disorders, and are essential despite the mounting personal costs to their health. 

Overcoming addiction is more complicated than simply addressing an array of symptoms or the effects of addiction in isolation. Rather, it is crucial to have a plan to address the physical, mental, emotional, and personal costs of addiction in tandem for a truly transformative recovery. Hawaii Island Recovery embraces this kind of holistic approach to treatment, ensuring that an individual can address each of these costs of substance use and understand their connection to each other while developing and creating a new, healthy, and effective survival kit in sobriety. 

Many of those living with an addiction to drugs or alcohol can feel the physical ramifications of their use. For some, this can be persistent hangovers or feelings of nausea, vomiting, and more, while others may notice bruises around injection sites, scabs, thinning hair, or muscle fatigue. Likewise, addiction can also lead to more intense physical ramifications, such as cardiovascular disease and liver disease. 

Addiction can also cause mental health disorders. Whether feelings of anxiety or depression initially informed the use of drugs or alcohol or if alcohol or drugs brought about these difficult emotions, the relationship between addiction and mental health disorders is very cyclic, each continuing to affect the other until addressed. This can also develop into co-occurring disorders, further necessitating professional treatment to properly address

Addiction can also make it difficult to regulate emotions, resulting in mood swings and intense feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration, compromising a person’s self-worth, esteem, and much more. This can also lead to feeling socially and emotionally isolated from friends and family as a result of addiction, making treatment and receiving support difficult.

Lastly, the personal cost of addiction can be difficult to identify, as it can cover anything from deteriorating relationships with family and loved ones to a compromised sense of identity and more. These personal effects also involve addressing the financial cost of addiction, calculating not just the money spent on these addictive substances but also addressing the loss of income from losing a job, compromising rent budgets, and more. 

Not only can each of these challenges be difficult to overcome on their own, but they also necessitate the need for a truly personalized approach to treatment. Addiction recovery is complicated, and finding the right treatment is necessary for sustainable change, with Burke finally finding his best approach, newfound hope, and motivation at Hawaii Island Recovery after several previous attempts at treatment elsewhere. 

Many like Burke may feel compelled to make drastic life changes throughout their journey with addiction, often being forced to move to new places either in an attempt to leave problems behind or as financial challenges continue to mount and an individual tries to “start over” with a new job. However, without addressing the role addictive substances played in these changes, addiction can follow an individual through these attempts, often leading to similar results. 

Addiction can also persist across state lines and can continue to isolate an individual from any new communities they may come across, all while similarly affecting their professional and personal lives. It isn’t a disease that can be left behind or run away from. Burke finally found his sustainable sober transformation after landing in Hawaii and admitting that he didn’t want to run anymore, instead choosing to confront addiction for himself. What made this attempt at pursuing sobriety so effective was a combination of engaging in a holistic approach to addressing addiction and its daily effects across all aspects of life, as well as Burke’s newfound resolve to face addiction for himself and put in the hard work for change. 

Sobriety is difficult, and it can be impossible to achieve a truly transformed mindset and sustainable set of sober coping skills if an individual isn’t wholly invested in their recovery and healing. Many, like Burke, may be saying that they will do anything to get sober. However, by Burke’s own admission, this can largely be because it is what a loved one wants to hear. Others like Burke may also spend so much of their time trying to pretend like they aren’t living with addiction that they compromise their sense of self in the process. 

Healing is complicated, and engaging in change means fully committing to the hard work ahead, as well as being ready to explore a person’s identity, goals, challenges, and vulnerabilities in their journey to a sustainable, sober future. All of this can empower each individual to transform their unhealthy and dangerous use of drugs or alcohol and replace their use with a fulfilling and sustainable survival kit that promotes sober daily life and identity. 

Addiction is a personal disease that uniquely affects each individual. While there may be common and shared experiences among those overcoming SUD, each person will still have their unique challenges, relationships, skills, needs, experiences, and traumas to address. Hawaii Island Recovery approaches effective and sustainable healing not only by simply addressing the symptoms of SUD but also by empowering each person to engage in a journey of self-discovery and identity in sobriety. 

Addiction can occupy a person’s thoughts, behaviors, focus, and much more. An individual living with addiction to drugs or alcohol may either be engaging with addictive substances or thinking about when they may be able to engage with them next at any time, occupying every aspect of their mind. Personal hobbies, interests, social groups, goals, and more can all become compromised as a result. Effective healing at Hawaii Island Recovery is not just about addressing individual symptoms of addiction but empowering each person to re-explore their identity, needs, goals, and more for a truly transformative approach to sober life. 

For many, drugs or alcohol may purport to be a survival kit for addressing trauma, stress, or mental health disorders, helping an individual push down uncomfortable emotions and challenges. However, this does little to process their negative effects, causing these discomforts to continue affecting an individual without truly being processed. Developing a healthy, sober survival kit is about finding grounding strategies, coping skills, mindfulness techniques, and more to not just navigate persistent cravings but also to process other challenges, navigate stress, and pursue personal goals for sustained sobriety.

A survival kit is a set of skills, strategies, and techniques that enable a person to navigate difficulty, challenges, and stress while improving personal resilience in sobriety. Having dedicated professionals available to replace unhealthy survival kits and strategies with sober ones is crucial. Each person will have their own best strategies for tending to their needs, goals, and ambitions in daily life, and having an opportunity to discover each person’s sober identity, find new opportunities, and engage in genuine change is a truly transformative experience. 

Developing a new survival kit for sobriety is paramount. It is a hallmark of not just a person’s commitment to overcoming the use of drugs or alcohol but also creating a plan to address these tresses, traumas, and mental health disorders that may be underlying factors in the development of addiction in the first place. Hawaii Island Recovery utilizes a combination of opportunities and proven therapeutic strategies to help each person follow their path to a sustainable and sober future, all while developing the skills, identity, and community necessary for a truly transformed sober life. 

Burke found the most success in his sober journey when he was able to build a survival kit that relinquished material needs and stresses and focused on internal, personal, and spiritual healing, all backed by new perspectives and accepting communities and cultures in sobriety. 

Addiction doesn’t develop or affect an individual in isolation, and there is a myriad of factors that may inform a person’s decision to turn to drugs or alcohol to “survive.” Creating a new survival kit in sobriety means committing to a holistic form of healing, one that addresses not just the physical and emotional sides of addiction but also the experiences, spiritual needs, and social needs of each individual. 

Combining personalized therapeutic outlets with various proven techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), medication, and experiential and practical strategies can all aid in further understanding the paths to healing available to each individual. Each of these elements can be an important base to build new strategies for each person’s sober survival kit.

Spirituality is a core part of healing, and Hawaii Island Recovery embraces the natural advantages and spiritual communities of Hawaii to empower each person to explore their own best approach to spiritual healing. Nature-based therapies, oceanic healing opportunities and experiences, mindfulness practices, and more are all combined to help each person develop their own spiritual beliefs, all while providing guidance, community, and new strategies to foster each person’s spiritual health.

Spirituality can also be a core part of a person’s identity. While some people may equate their spiritual beliefs and identity to a particular religion, this is not necessary to engage in effective spiritual healing. Rather, spiritual healing is about connecting to oneself and their place in the world, which can fundamentally inform other beliefs, interests, and perspectives in sobriety. 

Another essential element of an effective survival kit in sobriety is community. Addiction and substance use disorder (SUD) can be incredibly isolating. Even if an individual is surrounded by support, it can still feel difficult to open up about personal challenges. Others may feel that those who have not lived through addiction themselves could not understand their challenges.

Having a community that accepts an individual for their developing sober identity and celebrates their transformations, interests, and growth is instrumental. It is also a crucial resource for overcoming urges and cravings while focusing on ongoing sober change. Hawaii Island Recovery’s dedication to curating this kind of community inside the walls of the treatment facility, as well as engaging in outreach to Hawaiian cultural communities can all provide a sense of belonging that is an integral part of each survival kit. This can empower those in recovery to develop new relationships in sobriety, explore new interests, express change, and embrace their new, sober lives without feeling as if they will be judged on past mistakes or traumas. 

Another key element of an effective sober survival kit for navigating stresses, challenges, and more is a feeling of control. Addiction can cause individuals to feel out of control of their own lives, either emotionally, personally, or financially. Many may feel pulled around trying to hide their use from others or trying to mitigate the consequences of their use on others to maintain a facade. Finding the strategies to express agency can be important to regaining a feeling of control over not just a person’s daily life but their goals in sobriety as well. 

Hawaii Island Recovery embraces the opportunity to empower those in recovery to locate the things that they can control and identify where positive choices can be made. Each of these opportunities is a chance to retake control over daily life. Being able to identify the power of choice and explore problem-solving and decision-making skills alongside professionals and peers can be a truly transformative part of each person’s survival kit that informs how each person can continue to express agency in daily life. 

Hawaii Island Recovery creates a peaceful and accepting atmosphere to help each person better explore new grounding strategies, hobbies, therapeutic outlets, and more throughout their healing journey. It can be difficult to discuss vulnerable topics or explore new ideas while still in a place of distress. Hawaii Island Recovery blends the peace of nature, using nature and oceanic healing opportunities, along with a supportive environment to embrace humility for effective healing. 

Practicing breathing strategies, yoga, mindfulness practices, meditation, and much more can all empower those in recovery to expand their survival kit for coping with stress, urges, cravings, and more. Each person can further refine these skills in a supportive and peaceful environment, ensuring that their skills are practiced and ready to be used when stresses arise. 

Burke found not just respite from the challenges of addiction in daily life at Hawaii Island Recovery but a perspective that allowed him to turn his newfound conviction for sobriety into sustainable change. While the methods he used to achieve his healing are unique to him, his journey speaks to the transformative potential within each person. Recovery takes hard work, discomfort, and dedication. However, Hawaii Island Recovery is prepared to help each person navigate their sober journey, explore personal identity, and develop their survival kit for not just overcoming the use of drugs and alcohol but for truly embracing new identity and change. 

John Burke’s approach to his sober journey is unique, and we at Hawaii Island Recovery are prepared to help you find your best approach to not just addressing the effects of addiction but also creating a truly comprehensive and effective survival kit to maintain sober change while pursuing personal goals. We address all sides of addiction, from engaging in effective education and coping strategies for navigating urges and cravings to promoting effective spiritual healing, addressing social needs, and personalizing your plan based on your experiences with anxiety, depression, or other mental health disorders. Trauma-informed professionals are also available to further personalize your treatment plan. To learn more about how our substance abuse treatment in Hawaii, call (866) 390-5070.