Cocaine recovery support groups and the language of recovery

The authors have attempted to make clear that recovery is a lifelong process. In its early phases, clients are working primarily to achieve relief from guilt and pain created by their addiction. As recovery progresses, however, there is a movement from a relief mentality to a true experience of delight (Enright 1980). The goals of treatment have been achieved when this shift is evident: when one is living comfortably, responsibly and joyfully without cocaine or other drugs. The authors' experience indicates that treating cocaine addicts in cocaine-specific groups is useful in that the homogeneity facilitates group identification and the educational component of treatment. However, the content of the groups and nature of the recovery process are not drug specific or unique. The emergence of C.A., which is based on the same 12 steps as A.A., also illustrates this. What is being treated is addictive disease, not alcoholism or cocaine addiction. Regardless of the chemical, the essentials of treatment are the same: The language of recovery is universal.