Recovery Looks Different for Everyone

September is recovery month. While recovery is something that happens year round, recovery month is a chance to recognize and celebrate the gains and progress made by those in recovery from substance abuse and mental illness. Yet recovery isn’t a race. Instead, it is something that will look different for everyone.

I have talked with plenty of attorneys who are at various stages in their recovery. Although there have certainly been some parallels, no story has been the same because no recovery is the same. Nor is it a linear journey. I know for me personally, my recovery has had plenty of setbacks and backslides. And I know I am not unique in that aspect.

Too often we are told that recovery has to look a certain way. Too often someone dismisses mental illness because they knew someone who got over it. Or they think it is just attention-seeking. Or they think it is just the result of laziness. Or all of the above.

Yet none of those are true statements. I have known uber-productive attorneys who get a lot done because their anxiety or depression makes it hard for them to sleep and they channel all that energy into their work. I know some who’ve been described as lazy because they reject the ladder climbing necessary to make partner. Yet those cases and so many more were still moving forward with their recovery, which is the important part.

So no matter where you are in your recovery, know that recovery month can be for you. If you go to a support group, know that your recovery doesn’t have to be the same as the person next to you. What you share is the support and the desire to recover. The journey is entirely your own.

And if you don’t know where to go next in your recovery, if you don’t know what the next day, week, month, or year will look like for you, know that you are not alone. We’ve been there, and we can help.