Hitting bottom is often associated with someone struggling through addiction. And no matter how low, the low may not be low enough for him/her to make that decision to change things. They may lose things held dear: a job, family, friends, a relationship, even their health and well-being or ultimately, their life. Watching the addict fumble as the chaos unfolds, we may find ourselves spinning around that chaos. Perhaps a long-held pattern developed from our family of origin as we saw a parent use substances like alcohol, drugs, sex, food or gambling to salve their pain. Maybe we even rescued our parent from their disarray because that was the role we assumed. We were born into rescuing by virtue of not knowing any better.
- Recognize the craziness and name it if you can, then step away—take a HUGE step back
- Begin with yourself: notice the foundation on which your bottom rests and look for ways to rebuild from the ground up
- Connect with a recovery program (12-Step group, support group)
- Be honest with yourself; dare to look at your pain
- Enjoy the ride because the journey is all about your discoveries along the way
- Above all, be gentle and patient with yourself
Sometimes our bottom is limitless; other times our bottom comes up to meet us. Hence, the potential for recovery. And eventually we come to recognize that recovery is a journey. It’s like one long train ride with numerous stops, giving us the opportunity to visit the many diversely interesting places of our own self and soul, without ever disembarking at a final destination. While the train ride never ends, we’ll simply be richer for taking it.