Dual recovery is an ongoing process of learning how to effectively recover from both a mental illness and chemical dependency. As important, it is a process of recovering ourselves and our ability to hope, cope and heal as we improve our inner quality of life.
One problem in recovery is that a person may sincerely try to recover from one illness and not acknowledge the other. As a person neglects his or her mental illness, that illness may recur. This recurrence may, in turn, lead a person to feel the need to "self-medicate" through drug use. Over time, the lack of progress toward recovery on both fronts may trigger feelings of failure and alienation. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is the damage that occurs to the self-esteem of each person.
Dual recovery is therefore a challenging process. Many people have noted they might have entered recovery earlier if integrated mental health and chemical dependency services had been available. Such services may include:
Clinical and supportive programs that are provided by professionals who are sensitive to the needs of people in dual recovery.
Dual recovery education that can help people in recovery understand theirtreatment needs for each illness. Such education should include the understanding that mental illnesses and addictions are two primary illnesses that are separate but interact in ways that can complicate recovery.
In addition to direct services, self-help groups, like Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA), provide a setting of acceptance and support for people in recovery. Group members gain positive coping skills and begin to experience success in dual recovery.
State agencies can also provide support and enhance recovery opportunities. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the state Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, for instance, collaborated in funding the Dual Diagnosis Recovery Network. The program offers education, self-help information, advocacy, as well as information and referral services. It is currently working to partner with consumers, family members and providers to establish an advocacy network.
In dual recovery, each person is expected to manage two illnesses. They heal and build their self-image and esteem. They find they are people first, good people in recovery from a "no fault" dual disorder.
Tim Hamilton is community resource director of the Dual Diagnosis Recovery Network.
First published in NMHA's The Bell, Dec. '99, as "Dual Diagnosis Recovery Can Be a Long Process."