If you Google, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”, you’ll get tens of pages or either articles or images saying this is “an African proverb”. No one really knows who said it, or if it truly is an African proverb, but nonetheless, it’s a helpful reminder in these times, especially for those in recovery.
In today’s world, so many people are accustomed to living largely private lives, and if a person isn’t careful, they can slip into isolation. Isolation feeds shame and shame feeds addiction. All addiction is perpetuated in isolation. With all of us living in different forms of isolation, we need to be wary of when we can slip into these moments of isolation and tend to get dragged into numbing behavior.
Thus, the way out is with each other. We can’t get out alone.
A mentor of mine once said, “You always need to live with one hand up, and one hand down”. This meant a person should always have a hand up to those ahead of them in life – those who are a bit further up the trail than we are, as well as having a hand down to those who are a bit behind us to help them along. We have to live with both, or we become unbalanced.
For those dealing with addiction recovery, this is a call to keep your sights on the horizon and your goals close in mind. Grab ahold of your people, your support group, your mentor – don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. You got this. We’re here with you.
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