Addiction education is a foundational element of treatment at MARR. When people in early recovery understand their disease, it gives context for the process groups, residential living, individual counseling, 12 Step work, recreational therapy, and trauma work.
At MARR we educate our clients on the physical and biological aspects of addiction. Research indicates that education about addiction plays an essential role in motivating change in early recovery.
Because addiction is a chronic disease, we prepare the client to address their condition on an ongoing basis. This groundwork prepares them to take the necessary measures to remain in recovery.
A MARR Alumnus from 2010 described his addiction education at MARR. He recalls his early days in treatment, “Pretty much every day, my counselor talked to me about the two parts of the disease: ‘the physical allergy’ and ‘the mental obsession.’ He thought that was so important. And he was totally right. We talked about it over and over again. And it was really important, particularly in the first month.
“What makes me different from people that don’t have this disease, is the physical allergy and the mental obsession. I walked out of Phase I of treatment with no doubt in my mind that those things were present in me.”
Herschel and thousands of other MARR alumni daily use this solid foundation of addiction education they received at MARR. It prepares them for a lifelong recovery. This knowledge helps motivate them for the continual practice and communal support that make a life of sobriety, connection, and meaning possible.
