But it just didn't pay off. Because of this ambivalence, the turning point can occur long before recovery. Individuals need to learn to tolerate their ambivalence even to consider recovery. The problems that started and contributed to abuse don't dissolve with abstinence. Nor does the frequent urge that rises.
Recovery is a lifelong commitment that necessitates major lifestyle changes.
Those who do recover do so actively, substituting new behaviors for old. They find new ways of coping with vulnerability and their ambivalence, new friends, and new rhythms for their daily lives. If Drugstore Cowboy realistically portrayed both the losses and gains of abandoning the drug life, it also captured the difficulties of maintaining recovery. Although most former drug users will not face so dramatic a threat to their recovery, addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition. Former users who become aware of the events that threaten their recovery, who have supportive relationships to help them through tough times, and who learn to manage their emotions and the urge to use have a better chance of maintaining or regaining recovery.