Recovery means different things to different people -- it must be self-defined. For most people, recovery means some equivalent of "normalcy". People who self-identify as recovered are people who are engaged in productive activity that is meaningful to themselves or others, such as work or school. They are either living on their own or contentedly with others. They have a network of personal and social relationships that are, themselves, relatively stable and healthy. They are either symptom free or whatever symptoms remain are no longer distressing.
Some recovery models state that in order to be considered fully recovered you have to be med-free. I don't agree with that stance because I've spoken with plenty of people who self-identify as recovered even if they still take medication. Being med-free is not the equivalent of being recovered. Being recovered is when you have resumed a place in larger society that brings you a sense of meaning, purpose and value.
Do you have a recovery story of your own to share? Perhaps you're not sure how to get started. Recently, I was asked to put together a list of "interview" questions to assist someone else in telling their own recovery story. What follows are the questions I came up with. For an example see here. Feel free to use these as a starting point for developing your own recovery story or feel equally free to go in your own direction. It's your recovery and your story.
If you would like to share your story with others through this blog, please submit your story to spiritual_emergency@yahoo.com. Note that you will retain all copyright privileges. Should you have a personal website, blog, or page, I'll be happy to provide a link back to you.
Thank you.
