The key step to staying on the path to addiction recovery

More and more people are realizing that alcohol and drugs, even in moderation, are influencing their lives more than they’d like. So they’re quitting. Cosmopolitan (www.cosmopolitan.com) has identified a number of celebrities that are taking this path (https://bit.ly/3qi75lH). 

But deciding to be sober is only the first step. And while every journey begins with a single step, it might be more important to evaluate what happens in the middle of the journey when the going gets tough and the resolve weakens and, heaven forbid, you stumble.

Alcoholic Anonymous’s famous 12 step program identifies a critical step in step number 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it (www.aa.org). The real question in this step is what do I do when I have a setback? How do I react when things go wrong? Do I hide it? Do I admit it? Do I address it appropriately?

Accountability partners can be a great strength here. But to be effective, the accountability partner needs to know the truth. The main key to staying on the path to addiction recovery is ensuring transparency of behavior at all times. So, should the accountability partner simply take the word of the addict? Probably not the best idea. Urine analysis, mobile lie detection tests, breathalyzer analysis are all options to verify behavior and establish trust.

What about for the addict? Perhaps the strongest motivation to stay true to a committed path is when there is knowledge that everyone will know tomorrow what is done today. If I, as an addict, know that I will be discovered and my behavior known, then I am far more likely to remain committed to the sober path.

EyeCanKnow is a truth verification test that can be taken on a mobile phone with accuracy above 80% and answers in minutes.