Recovery

From Drug Rehab Wiki

The word "recovery" comes from a Latin word meaning "to take back." In medical terms, to recover means to take back or to return to a state of health after illness; therefore, people talk about "recovering from a cold."

The word "recovery" is commonly used among professionals in the therapeutic community treating alcoholism and drug dependency. "To enter recovery" means to enter a formal treatment program, residential or otherwise, that usually includes chemical detoxification and formal therapeutic interventions such as counseling, education, and relaxation. "To be in recovery" means to be working through a formal treatment program. When a client completes his program as determined by his therapists, he often moves into a transitional recovery residence or half-way house. There he can go to work or finish his education while still receiving continual support for his original problem. Some people in "follow-up recovery" or "aftercare recovery" return home and receive support services within their communities. Recovery is considered complete once the person has remained free of drugs or alcohol for at least a year. Some people have to keep attending support meetings or keep getting other forms of help for the rest of their lives. In that sense, they remain "in recovery."