Your Story Is Only Beginning: Sober Living Programs in Hawaii

When it comes to recovery, treatment, and sober living programs, it is important to remember that the journey doesn’t conclude once we leave the recovery center. While it is a huge accomplishment to successfully finish an inpatient program, this is only the start of the recovery journey. Now, while some of us may get discouraged by this notion, the truth is that we should not. If we are rigorous and honest and committed to a program of recovery, then we will realize that leaving treatment is merely the beginning of the story. As the “Big Book” of 12-Step recovery states, you are ready now to “lose the old life to find one much better.”

When we first enter a treatment program, the instinct is to get “recovered” as soon as possible. This is understandable, as active addiction has caused so much hurt and pain in our lives that we want to escape it as soon as possible. The issue with this mentality, however, is that it often rushes the process and leads to shortcuts in recovery, informing a loose recovery foundation and eventual relapse.

For this reason, recovery is best served when there is a focus on the benefits of long-term recovery rather than quick-fix results. The goal should be how can I live a new life that is “happy, joyous, and free,” rather than how can I recover my old life as quickly as possible. 

Recovery is a journey, not a destination. There is no finish line in effective recovery; rather there is personal progress, emotional evolution, and spiritual growth. Also, there is no better place to take this journey than in Hawaii.

There is an old saying of recovery that goes “It took a certain amount of days to walk into the woods, it stands to reason that it will take the same amount of time to walk out.” What this means is that many of us spent many years engaged in our active addiction, so it should not be presumptuous to think it may take many years to recover from it.

Also just as addiction is a chronic disease that always progresses, recovery is a process that must always be progressing as well. Transitional recovery is an excellent way to measure and regulate this progression. This includes transitioning to aftercare and sober living programs. Hawaii offers an ideal setting to take part in sober living programs. It offers the opportunity to reconnect to nature and participate in nature immersion therapy, ocean immersion therapy, or surf therapy. 

There are also many cultural traditions in Hawaii that can bolster recovery. This includes the practice of Ho’oponopono which can help us reconcile our past and cultivate forgiveness for both ourselves and others. Also, sober living programs in Hawaii offer the opportunity to have these experiences with other like-minded indivduals with the same primary purpose of recovery and helping others.

Hawaii offers us the unique opportunity to shape our own narrative while also utilizing the landscape around us to connect to something greater than ourselves. While it is not part of everyone’s journey, many of us have found it critical to cultivate a spiritual practice in recovery.

There are many ways to cultivate a spiritual practice in recovery. For example, in 12-Step recovery, this spiritual practice involves giving one’s life over to a “Higher Power of our their understanding.” Another example is Dharma recovery, where a spiritual program comes from the teachings of Buddhism. Now, Hawaii is a beautiful setting for both of these practices, but it is also ideal for any variation of spiritual practice that one wishes to develop. 

Many people associate the term “Aloha” with a Hawaiian greeting, but many people are unaware of what its literal meaning is. Aloha means “the breath of life,” and sober living programs in Hawaii offer the opportunity the breathe new life into our lives with a newfound mission of compassion and community.

The truth is that setting matters in recovery. For too long, active addiction shut us off from the beauty that the world has to offer. It shrunk our world. Recovery in Hawaii can afford us the opportunity to open our lives back up and reconnect with that beauty.

Hawaii affords us the serenity to quiet our minds and learn to live in the moment. The spiritual teacher and author, Eckhart Tolle, once said, “Most people treat the present moment as if it were an obstacle that they need to overcome. Since the present moment is life itself, it is an insane way to live.” In Hawaii, we can be present in our recovery.

Here at Hawaii Island Recovery, we believe in the healing power of the world we choose to live in, which is why we are grateful to now be part of the landscape of Hawaii. This is why we are proud to help others begin the beautiful story of the rest of their lives here as well.

Recovery is a lifelong journey. You may have heard this a million times, but what does it actually mean? It means that your story is only the beginning following treatment. The journey to recovery is lifelong, which is why it is important to be aware of the challenges you may face, and how to plan and prepare for such challenges. However, there are many exceptional local community options in Hawaii, and sober living programs that can help aid in the journey of lasting sobriety. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please know that you are not alone. For more information about sober living programs, call Hawaii Island Recovery at (866) 390-5070.