When it comes to sports, few things are more exciting than a victory secured in the final moments of a competition. The buzzer beater in basketball. The Hail Mary in football. The walk-off home run in baseball. These moments—when a player or a team does something just shy of impossible to secure a victory with the game on the line—become legendary right in the instant they happen. All the drama of competition comes down to one amazing instant that results in an unforgettable triumph.
That sort of thing is very exciting in the context of sports, but it is a terrible model for winning back your sobriety. After all, a substance use disorder is anything but a game—and the longer you wait to overcome it, the more difficult it might be. Also, every day you wait to get help is another day that your physical and mental health are negatively impacted, your relationships are endangered, and your ability to provide for yourself and others is threatened.
In other words, the longer you wait, the more you stand to lose. That is the opposite of a winning strategy.
(You can read more of our blog’s “sports coverage” here.)
The Winning Play is Getting Sober Sooner
In sports, the opposite of a last-second victory is the blowout win. This is the kind of game in which one team simply dominates the other, running up the score and basically claiming the victory from the very beginning.
From a fan’s perspective, blowout wins are not that fun to watch—even if you root for the team that is running away with the game. And if you are rooting for the losing team, it can be downright painful to witness.
But when your opponent is a substance use disorder, a blowout win is just what you want. What does that look like?
First and foremost, it looks like getting the help you need to reclaim your sobriety sooner rather than later. Rather than attempting to hide your problem with drugs or alcohol from others (and yourself) or waiting to find yourself at some mythical “rock bottom” or attempting to overcome the problem entirely on your own, the best move is to get yourself into treatment as soon as you realize you have developed an issue.
Doing so allows you to reclaim your life while minimizing the kinds of negative consequences we noted above. That, in and of itself, is a significant victory.
But What If it is Already Late in the Game?
Our advice about winning against a substance use disorder as quickly as possible is all well and good—unless you are already pretty late in the game. Maybe you are already experiencing the kinds of problems we have highlighted. Maybe you are afraid that you have already lost to your substance use disorder and things will never get any better.
If you find yourself in that situation, it is time to get to work on making a comeback. In the realm of sports, a comeback victory—in which a team that looked sure to lose comes together to do what needs to be done to actually win—is thrilling to behold. In fact, to bring things full-circle, a comeback that is punctuated by a buzzer beater, Hail Mary, or walk-off is as exciting as things get in sports.
No matter where you find yourself in your battle with a substance use disorder, you still have time to mount a comeback. And the first step is exactly the same as it would have been earlier in the game: Get yourself into treatment. You can still secure a victory by doing the hard work of getting sober and learning what it takes to maintain that sobriety over time.
The Right Time is Right Now
Coaches and managers have to make a lot of decisions during a game. When is the right time to make a substitution? When is the right time to try a trick play? When is the right time to call a timeout and regroup?
When it comes to addressing a substance use disorder, however, there is only one decision to make. You need to decide to get treatment so that you can put drug and alcohol use behind you. And the time to make that decision is always right now. If you suspect you have a problem, get help right now. If you know you have a problem but have been slow to do anything about it, get help right now. If all seems lost, get help right now. You can still earn the win that is sobriety.
We Are Counted Among the Best
For the second consecutive year, Wooded Glen Recovery Center—located in Henryville, Indiana—has been named one of the country’s best substance use disorder treatment centers. If treatment were a sport, that would mean we are ranked highly in the polls. And our team is made up of stars who know how to help you regain your sobriety and maintain it over time. Our winning strategy is personalized treatment grounded in evidence, experience, expertise, and empathy.
If you are ready to defeat your substance use disorder, we are ready to help you work your way to victory.