Finding balance in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction can be a difficult process.  I believe that there is such a thing as having a recovery burnout.  Being in the rooms for a while I can’t help but notice that the people who are just starting their recovery process and are overly enthusiastic do not fair well in the long run.  My opinion is that there is such a thing as overkill or burnout from recovery.

Recovery from addiction is a slow process.  It is said that it’s easy to get sober but staying sober is difficult.  While I went to meetings on a daily basis in my early recovery I took my time with every thing else.  My early recovery consisted of going to meetings, talking with my sponsor on a daily basis and doing some step work here and there.  I felt that in my early sobriety as long as I could get through each day, one at a time, without “picking up” then I was successful.

For me it was necessary to balance my time in early recovery.  I had to do some physical activities as well as enjoy some down time whether it be watching television or reading a book.  It was beneficial for me to once again start enjoying some of the activities that I used to before drugs and alcohol consumed my life.

No one is going to be able to get sober all at once.  It is slow process that should be done methodically.  My personal experience was that as long as I kept plugging away at my recovery the different stages that I went through happened naturally.