Addicts should realize that their life can never be the way it was before their addiction. This does not mean that a recovering addict cannot live a healthy and fulfilling life. Rather, addicts should be aware that recovery is a process that always will need to be maintained. Sobriety or abstinence is simply refraining from the ingestion of alcohol or other drugs. Recovery is the process by which the ingestion of alcohol or other drugs is recognized as problematic and avoided.
Individuals recovering from substance abuse addiction have a chronic, yet manageable disease.
As such, these individuals should be treated like people with other life-threatening illnesses or disabilities.