There is no quick fix

I need to be patient.

I need to be patient with his recovery. This IS going to take a long time, and until a person is involved in the recovery process (whether it be themselves or a family member) they have no idea how long it can take. It is easy for someone not involved to just say "stop using drugs!!!". But, it is much more involved than that.

On Friday night we went down for another family session and to see our son. The evening started with a very interesting and informative video that outlined the different phases an addict goes through during the recovery process. For most people the process takes between 9 to 12 months, and he is only a few months into the process and currently in the stage known as 'The Wall'. We learned that many of the things we saw him going through when he first came out of detox are very normal.....trouble sleeping, depression, anxiety, minor relapses, tiredness, feelings of dispair, etc. This will lead to the honeymoon phase, which we saw, in which they feel fantastic and are totally comitted to a new life, are doing some great things, and seem to be doing well. Unfortunately, this honeymoon phase does not last long and the next phase, called 'The Wall' can last from 4 weeks to a few months in which they have great days, horrible days, and days in which they want to do nothing. This is the stage our son is in, which is why it is even more important that he is where he is.

If you want to find out more information about these stages there is information all over the place on it

This is truly a disease, and a disease of the brain. After a long period of abusing the brain with drugs, it takes almost that full year of recovery for all of the brain chemical levels to get back to normal. This is why it is so difficult, and why it is important for people to be patient with the recovery process. As a parent it is very difficult because I don't see the fast process that I would like, but I am learning that there is no quick fix for this. I need to be patient and ride this out, and pray that he is one of the 30% of the patients that are successful with this.