Innovations in Recovery: Welcome
Innovations in Recovery is not a treatment program in the usual sense. We believe that traditional treatment can foster dependence on a counselor, which can have catastrophic consequences once the counseling relationship ends. Because the goal of restoring individuals’ internal resources is often neglected, participants in such programs can leave without being fully prepared to live successfully in long-term recovery once treatment is formally completed.
Another concern is that traditional treatment usually takes an excessively medical approach, relying on a pathology-based model of recovery. We believe this trivializes the journey back to wholeness, simplistically likening recovery addiction to any other chronic disease. Those who have worked to free themselves from the grip of substance addiction know that lifelong recovery is not as simple as monitoring one’s blood sugar or taking a daily medication. Innovations in Recovery participants work to restore connection in six vital areas of their lives so that the journey of recovery brings serenity, happiness, and fulfillment. No medical intervention can promise that outcome.
Finally, treatment often focuses exclusively on staying clean and sober. While sobriety is an essential goal of all recovery, placing the primary focus there can serve to magnify problems and deficits. Instead, the Innovations in Recovery approach works with participants to cultivate a rich and satisfying life in order to provide the strength and reinforcement necessary to support sobriety for years to come. As recovery-based programs, FirstSteps and Footpath to Recovery focus on the development of positive elements and deep, meaningful connections.