What can I expect as I begin the recovery process of the 12 step program?
There is a term in "AA" just in substance abuse treatment that they call a "dry drunk" where a person is not drinking, but all of their behaviors are as out of control as if they were actively using. The same thing can be with behavioral addictions. Once you abstain from you behavior of choice, a lot of other things are going to start coming up. A lot of feelings are going to start coming up because you have been using that as a way to stuff down a lot of other uncomfortable feelings, awarenesses that you've had and they're all gonna come back again. You need to deal with them. That's where you need to get some outside help that will allow you to maneuver through this. And chances are once you've lost your objectivity, it's going to be hard to do it on your own. That's why we have the fellowship groups. That's why we have professionals in the field that can help you. You may say, "Well, you said that it's an internal process", it is. But the one thing that humans are very good at is lying to themselves. And justifying their behaviors to themselves. And blaming others for problems. And it's like that's where you need someone, whether it's a sponsor, whether it's a therapist, whether it's a trusted friend, to be there like a mirror for you as you go through this process.
