Passivity- A Detrimental State Of Existence

Reflecting on this weeks Recovery Word of the Week brought to mind a common saying I heard growing up “there’s always two ways- the right way, and the wrong way”. After I gave this some thought and pondered just how false this statement is, I realized there’s a third, and much more detrimental option- doing nothing; being passive.

Doing something and making a mistake has always allowed me to learn from those failures and to fail forward… but doing nothing and being passive is just a state of existence where I neither succeed nor am I able to learn from a mistake. It reminds me of today’s society in which an accident or injustice occurs, and the passers-by pull out their phones and start recording. However, I can relate to this with how passive I was during my addiction. I wasn’t living and I wasn’t standing up to the injustices caused by myself or by others. Being at South Orange County Detox and Treatment and working with Salina I’ve been able to work through my passivity and have been able to be more assertive and direct. Because of this my relationships are stronger, and my self-esteem has risen. And if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s this:

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

-Teddy Roosevelt.