Addiction Affects Millions And So Does Recovery

“Addiction affects approximately 23 million Americans. Those grappling with this disease, in turn, affect some 120 million others – the parents, siblings, spouses, grandparents, aunts, uncles, children, in-laws, significant others and close friends of those who struggle.” – Sharing the Family’s Side of the Disease of Addiction, BreakingtheCycles.com.

In first reading this statistic, it can seem pretty bleak. Many of you probably took one look at it and immediately decided it was negative, I know I did. However, upon pondering it a little more, it’s actually pretty amazing.

When we get sober and are working a true program of recovery, it is required that we live an honest life and be of service to the best of our ability. When we live our lives with others in mind, we inevitably create a small ripple of positive change. Imagine if 25% of the Americans struggling with this disease got sober. Thirty million others would be affected, and that’s just counting family members! If you were to factor in the amount of people these recovered addicts and alcoholics interact with on a daily basis, there’s no telling how many lives would be touched!

Millions are living their lives in recovery today. So if you think about it, addiction affects millions – but so does recovery!

I think, sometimes, we can take for granted or minimize the effect that each one of us has on the outside world… I know I do. Maybe we think that no one will notice our absence at a meeting or that we’re just one person, so there’s no way anything we do will make a difference in the world. But as statistically proven, by being sober and living a better life, we change the world in a big way without even knowing it.

Thank you to all of our alumni that make the world a better place every day!