• About
    • Insurance
    • Credentialing Partners
    • Admissions
    • Dual Diagnosis
    • Alumni Success Stories
    • Careers
  • Treatments
    • Inpatient / Detox
    • Partial Hospitalization Program
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Transitional Housing
    • Family Program
    • Continuum Of Care
  • Resources
    • News & Events
    • Blog
    • Addictions
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Donate

Treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit > CALL TODAY 314.631.4299

Harris HouseHarris House
  • About
    • Insurance
    • Credentialing Partners
    • Admissions
    • Dual Diagnosis
    • Alumni Success Stories
    • Careers
  • Treatments
    • Inpatient / Detox
    • Partial Hospitalization Program
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Transitional Housing
    • Family Program
    • Continuum Of Care
  • Resources
    • News & Events
    • Blog
    • Addictions
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Donate

How Choices Affect Addiction and Recovery

March 20, 2017 Posted by grant Addiction, Blog, Psychological, Recovery
You have choices

While it may seem otherwise, you CAN turn back.

Life doesn’t just happen. Rather, everything that happens does so because of the choices we make. The takeaway? We must exercise extreme caution because these choices often leave us with unintended consequences that shape the rest of our lives.

In matters of substance abuse, however, the line between choice and compulsion becomes blurred when what we originally wanted–and willfully chose–becomes a form of enslavement. There is a way out, however, and it’s the same way that got us in: Choosing a life free from the bondage of addiction isn’t easy, but it is possible.

Choices and Consequences

A lot has been said about the nature of consequence. American pastor and author Rick Warren wrote in his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?, “You are free to choose what you surrender to but you are not free from the consequence of that choice.”

Meanwhile, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People scribe Stephen R. Covey offered a variation on the theme with, “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions,” while author Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Everybody, sooner or later, sits down to a banquet of consequences.”

Clearly, there’s no shortfall of wisdom about the choice and consequence dynamic, and yet every day, people make bad choices that stay with them for the rest of their lives.

While the relationship between choice and consequence applies to almost every aspect of life, it’s particularly relevant when it comes to substance abuse. Why? Because while no one would actively choose the often devastating–and sometimes deadly–consequences of addiction, they’re very much foreseeable from the earliest moment bad choices are made.

A Different Kind of Consequence

It’s easy to get tripped up in bad consequences. But there are good consequences, too–the kind that comes from owning mistakes, accepting responsibility, and making the right choices. Unfortunately, many people struggling with substance abuse are unable to see the pathway to these choices, along with the positive outcomes they stand to gain from making them.

That’s where addiction rehabilitation can help. In addressing alcohol and drug abuse problems from both educational and process-oriented perspectives, Harris House aims to help patients across everything from disease theory to relapse avoidance. In doing so, its inpatient and outpatient treatment programs offer clarity that pathways do exist to the very best kind of consequence: addiction recovery.

Addiction recovery

Freedom from addiction is within your reach.

Just because you made one bad decision doesn’t mean the choice or right to make good ones has somehow been taken away from you. It’s still very much there within your reach, and the right substance abuse program can bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

Rick Warren also wrote, “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” This is no truer than when it comes to substance abuse. Ultimately, we choose what we want to allow to into our lives.

We’re Here to Help

Contact us today to learn more about how Harris House can help you or a loved one discover the beauty in good choices, positive consequences, and freedom from addiction.

Tags: addiction recoverychoicesconsequences
Share
0

About grant

This author hasn't written their bio yet.
grant has contributed 289 entries to our website, so far.View entries by grant

    You also might be interested in

    Addiction Recovery: Why No One Should Travel the Road Alone

    Nov 15, 2016

    It is true that in order to achieve and maintain[...]

    Vulnerability and Trust in Addiction Recovery

    Mar 27, 2017

    Trust is not unrecoverable, but it is a process. For[...]

    The Road to Recovery is a Journey

    Mar 6, 2017

    You might not think that Demi Lovato is much of[...]

    Recent Posts

    • A Guide to Inpatient Alcohol Rehab Centers
    • What to Look for When Searching for the Right Rehab Facilities in St. Louis
    • The Benefits of a Holistic Inpatient Rehab for Alcohol Addiction – The Solution You’ve Been Searching For
    • What to Expect from Your 28-Day Residential Treatment Program
    • The Difference Between Intensive Inpatient Therapy (24-Hour Drug Rehab Centers) and Other Facilities

    Insurance Providers

    Substance use insurance coverage and benefits can be multifaceted and will vary with the different insurance companies and plans. The Harris House Insurance Department has experience working with insurance providers to get our clients the maximum benefits possible. Let our staff do the work for you. LEARN MORE

    Insurance Providers Insurance Providers Insurance Providers

    Credentialing Partners

    Harris House is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International). Harris House is also certified by the Missouri Department of Mental Health, approved by the Better Business Bureau as an A+ accredited charity and a proud member of United Way of Greater St. Louis. LEARN MORE

    DMH Carf BBB United Way

    Contact Us

    Let your recovery begin

    We're here to help.

    Please reach out with any questions

    CONTACT US

    314-631-4299

    • About
      • Insurance
      • Credentialing Partners
      • Admissions
      • Dual Diagnosis
      • Alumni Success Stories
      • Careers
    • Treatments
      • Inpatient / Detox
      • Partial Hospitalization Program
      • Intensive Outpatient Program
      • Transitional Housing
      • Family Program
      • Continuum Of Care
    • Resources
      • News & Events
      • Blog
      • Addictions
    • Gallery
    • Contact
    • Donate

    Treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit > CALL TODAY 314.631.4299

    Harris HouseHarris House
    • About
      • Insurance
      • Credentialing Partners
      • Admissions
      • Dual Diagnosis
      • Alumni Success Stories
      • Careers
    • Treatments
      • Inpatient / Detox
      • Partial Hospitalization Program
      • Intensive Outpatient Program
      • Transitional Housing
      • Family Program
      • Continuum Of Care
    • Resources
      • News & Events
      • Blog
      • Addictions
    • Gallery
    • Contact
    • Donate
    About Us
    Treatments
    Resources
    Gallery
    Contact Us
    Donate

    For individuals struggling with addiction to alcohol and drugs, Harris House helps people achieve sobriety and become healthy and productive individuals. Since our founding in 1961, Harris House has grown to become a top-rated non-profit treatment center.

    CALL US TODAY

    314-631-4299

    2706 S. River Rd
    St. Charles, MO 63303

    8315 South Broadway
    St. Louis, MO 63111

    © 2023 HARRIS HOUSE FOUNDATION.

    Prev Next