It's not part of the 12 step programs, except as myth. Who benefits from such a saying? Treatment centers and people who keep picking up.
Some treatment centers use the relapse rhetoric as part of the justification as to why their clients relapse at such an alarming rate. They can also use it to justify having clients return again and again, usually at great cost.
Those of us who can't stay clean and sober for any length of time can also use the "Relapse is part of recovery," as part of a justification philosophy. It's a convenient thing to say, explaining why recovery isn't working. But convenience aside, let's face it, relapse is a part of our disease.
What the AA program really says is to keep coming back SOBER, if possible. Members warn of the very real danger of that last relapse. The danger of stepping in front of a car or bus. The danger of overdosing, of being institutionalized for the rest of your life in jail or a mental hospital.
People in the fellowships also say "Keep Coming Back" and trying because you might be one of the lucky few that do eventually see relapse only in the rear view mirror.
Many AA members "make it" from their very first meeting. You can make it, start now.
The truth is, any relapse may be your last one.
Solution? Don't pick up the first fix, pill, or drink and relapse isn't possible.
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