Watch Your Step

My name is Bryan Hullihen and I have had the pleasure of working in the field of substance abuse treatment for several years now and I have had the experience of early recovery on a personal level several times throughout my life. On a personal level the decisions I’ve made in the past were largely dictated by my subconscious or a desire to achieve some goal. Many times, those goals were in the pursuit of things ranging from pleasure to purported responsibility. Other times I was pursuing escape from fear or feelings of inadequacy and didn’t even realize that was the case. This haphazard and capricious way of making decisions ostensibly works for some people, however, for those who are in early recovery a more concrete approach to decision making is required. One method that was given to me which I use with those whom I work with in creating their recovery goals and objectives is to ask a simple question; “Is this decision going to bring me closer to, or further from, my recovery?” This simple question guides the early recovery process for the individual ever reminding them that their recovery is paramount in importance to everything else. It gives a basic framework on which solid, recovery focused, decisions can be made. Over time these decisions become more natural, however, in the beginning the person in early recovery is practiced in making deleterious choices. It is for this reason that I, Bryan Hullihen, recommend this approach to focus the period of early recovery on what is important. Thank you for your time and support and I look forward to reading your comments.

Sincerely,

Bryan Hullihen