You have likely arrived at this blog looking for information about substance use disorders, their treatment, and the recovery journey. If so, you have come to the right place. But bear with us for a few paragraphs as we consider competition and the role it tends to play in our lives. We promise the connection (or perhaps we should say the disconnection) between competition and recovery will become clear.
For now, though, let’s start with a question: Are you an avid sports fan—the kind of person whose mood can be boosted by a win and darkened by a loss? A person who has strong opinions about your favorite team’s players, management, and announcing team? The kind of person who is sure the refs are biased against your team and that fans of other teams are deluded? Arguably, this kind of fan is more than just avid; they are overly invested in the success or failure of their chosen team.
Or maybe you are an avid competitor yourself—the kind of person who is hungry to win the recreation league tournament. A person who knows their own stats and the stats of every rival. The kind of person who treats a pickup game like it is a world championship. Arguably, this kind of competitor is more than just avid; they are overly focused on establishing their athletic prowess.
There is a good chance you do not fall into either of those categories—or at least not into the most extreme versions we have sketched out above—but there is also a good chance that you know at least one person who does fall into one or the other (or even both).
We can say that with confidence because competition often seems to be at the very heart of our lives. There are traditional sports, of course. But plenty of other activities are framed as competitions, too. There are academic competitions (not to mention the competition to get into the so-called “best” schools). There are competitions for singers, instrumentalists, artists, and more. There are cooking competitions, weird and extreme “reality show” competitions, and blood drive competitions. And in a person’s day-to-day life, they may feel as though they are in competition for a promotion, for the attention of someone they have a crush on, or for the best parking space. It can feel as though absolutely everything in life is about trying to win and trying not to lose.
There is one area of life, however, in which competition has no place at all.
Recovery Should Never Be a Competition
Given the prevalence of competitions of all kinds, it might be tempting to frame recovery from a substance use disorder as a competitive endeavor. In fact, you might well think that is why a person in recovery counts their days of sobriety and marks off milestones as they reach them. You might wonder what the purpose of all that counting is if it is not to determine winners and losers in the game of recovery.
But counting each day of recovery is not about comparing yourself to others. Rather, it is about reminding yourself that you are steadily doing a difficult thing. Each day your recovery remains intact can serve as inspiration the next time you hit a rough patch. And if you experience a relapse and start your count all over again, you can take comfort in the notion that your recovery unspools one day at a time.
Everyone in Recovery Is on the Same Team
When it comes to competitions, it is often easy to see the ways in which a team comes together to achieve a common goal. Teammates—at least on successful teams—tend to be incredibly loyal to one another. They may talk trash about other teams, but not about their teammates.
In recovery, there is only one team and everyone who is trying to leave drugs or alcohol in their past is on it. That means you can—and should—always be rooting for the ongoing success of others in recovery. They, in turn, should be rooting for you. Recovery meetings are all about lifting each other up, working through difficulties together, and celebrating everyone’s successes.
To put it another way, recovery should always involve compassion and should never involve competition.
We Are Here to Help
Even though we have been arguing that competition has no place in recovery, we hope you will forgive us if we do just a little bit of bragging.
Located near St. Louis, Missouri, The Aviary Recovery Center is consistently recognized as one of the top facilities for substance use disorder treatment.
That means you can count on us to provide personalized, evidence-based treatment plans supported by our years of experience, high levels of expertise, and spirit of empathy. At The Aviary, we can see you through medically supervised detoxification in a safe environment and follow that up with a rehabilitation program designed to get you ready to launch your recovery journey with confidence. Once your time in treatment comes to an end, you can rely on our alumni program to keep you connected to resources, support, and other people who have faced the same challenges you have.
Ready to make a change? We’re ready to help.
