Recovery is Like a Recipe by Kelly K.
I have heard through the years that a great analogy for building a good solid foundation in sobriety comes through following directions as if you were going to bake a delicious cake. The recipe for sobriety is simple with specific information about ingredients and timing. This recipe can be given out and who ever follows these direction precisely will have a wonderful "cake."
It took a long time for me to understand this and now it makes perfect sense.
| Baking a Cake |
Getting Sobriety |
|---|---|
| Get a nice clean bowl | go to detox |
| 3-eggs |
meet my case manager |
| ¼ cup of flour |
get a sponsor |
| ½ cup of Sugar | start working the steps |
| ½ cup of milk |
get a home group |
| ¼ cup of coconut |
get a commitment |
| ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon | develop a routine |
| 8oz of cream cheese |
start new relationships |
| mix everything together |
repair old relationships |
| put it in your pan |
practice these principles |
| add 12 oz box of graham crackers | start going to different meetings |
| a oven preheated to 375 degrees |
get a job or go back to school |
| bake for precisely 1 Hour | give the program a year - one day at a time |
Voila! a cake that is consistently delicious every time. Now lets pretend I was in somewhat of a hurry, so I tried to tweak
the process – and get the same result.
| Baking a Cake |
Getting Sobriety |
|---|---|
| start with a dirty bowl |
leave detox |
| use only 1 of the 3 required eggs |
flake out on meetings with case manager |
| no flour, so use baking soda |
don't get a sponsor but "make friends" |
| use 1 whole cup of sugar to compensate |
don't work steps |
| no milk so add some water |
late to meetings and leave early |
| I just guess at the right amount of coconut without measuring |
isolate |
| no cinnamon so add paprika and MORE sugar |
no routine |
| I don't have any cream cheese - skip |
don't make any new friends in sobriety |
| mix everything together |
don't repair old relationships |
| put it in your pan |
practice these principles |
| don't have graham crackers so I add saltines and MORE sugar |
start going to different meetings |
| a oven preheated to 375 degrees |
get a job or go back to school |
| bake for only 20 minutes | expect the program to fix me after 30 days |
The program is simple it is not easy . As Johnny O says, "If nothing changes, nothing changes." If you are in treatment and do not understand the process, or you are in a hurry, then what kind of "cake" (sobriety) are you going to achieve
Maybe this analogy can help you understand that all the little things that are asked of you are very important and there is a method to the madness. The program of recovery is like a recipe, and if you follow some precise direction, then we are confident that you and your loved ones will get everything that you ever wanted.
All that my family ever wanted for me was to live a happy life. They wanted for me that I could be consistent and have healthy relationships. Those are also the things I wanted for myself.
The problem was that when I crossed the line into active addiction and alcoholism – there was only one way for me to achieve these things in recovery that I saw others achieve naturally. I had to follow precise direction. For a long time I would try and tweak the recipe with predictable results.
I really wish I could have just kept my focus from the beginning and trust the process.
- Kelly K
recovery is like a recipe