The summer often sees the release of several big-budget films designed to fill the seats at your local movie theaters. This year’s batch of movies includes a new entry in the Mission Impossible franchise, a new Superman flick, and a new take on the Marvel superhero team, The Fantastic Four.
It might seem like none of these popcorn movies have anything to do with the journey of a person in recovery from a substance use disorder, but it turns out there are lessons to be learned from each of these films.
Let’s head to the movies to see what we might glean from these exciting blockbusters.
The Mission of Recovery is Possible
Whether you are a fan of the old television series or Tom Cruise’s series of movies (or even if you have never paid any attention to either), you are probably familiar with the setup. A secret agent is given a recording that reveals a top-secret mission. The agent listens to the message—which promptly self-destructs—and heads off to do the impossible in order to save the world.
But here is an often-overlooked fact at the heart of the Mission Impossible adventures: The missions might be extremely difficult, but they are not, in fact, impossible. If they were, the show and movies would have a very different tone as secret agents set out to do something and fail over and over again.
That, we are guessing, would not make for a successful franchise.
The lesson here? There is a difference between difficult and impossible. Recovering from a substance use disorder is difficult, but it is not impossible. There may be setbacks along the way (just like the secret agents encounter obstacles to their objectives), but those setbacks are not the same as failures. Maintaining your recovery might never be easy, but the reasons to try are plentiful—and you can succeed.
Look Up for Some Recovery Inspiration
Fans of Superman know that he is committed to battling for—among other things—truth. He’s been described as a “Big Blue Boy Scout,” and his pursuit of truth is in keeping with that suggestion.
Truth is important on the recovery journey, too. First, you have to be honest with yourself about your need to get help if you are struggling with drugs or alcohol. And as your recovery gets underway, you will have to be honest with yourself about ongoing challenges you face and about problems or broken relationships that you must address now that you are no longer under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
That honesty with yourself will get you on the right track. Being honest with others in your life—friends, family, doctors, therapists, and more—can help keep you on the right track. There is a good chance that while you were using drugs or alcohol, you were in the habit of lying to others about what was going on. In recovery, recommitting to the truth is a way to be your own hero.
You Are Not Facing Challenges Alone
The Fantastic Four are a team, and each member brings different superpowers to their heroic efforts. All four of them—Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Thing—got their powers in the same way. They were exposed to cosmic rays during a scientific mission in space. This shared history helps them bond, understand one another, and help each other through their unusual lives.
As a person in recovery from a substance use disorder, you probably do not have any superpowers, but you do have access to a group of people who understand what you have gone through because they have gone through it, too.
Group therapy and 12-Step or other recovery program meetings provide the opportunity for you to receive support as your recovery journey unfurls. The participants all know what it is like to struggle against drugs or alcohol, and they also know that recovery can be ongoingly challenging. When you participate in therapy or meetings, you can draw on your peers’ experiences, successes, and even failures to help you maintain your recovery. And sometimes, you can be the person providing the support, too.
Be the Hero of Your Own Story
At Bel Aire Recovery Center—located near Wichita, Kansas—we help people reclaim their lives from dependence on drugs or alcohol. We can also identify and treat co-occurring mental health disorders that may be tangled up with a substance use disorder.
A person struggling with drugs or alcohol is unlikely to feel like the hero of their own story. That is understandable as substances chip away at physical and mental health and much, much more. But getting treatment for a substance use disorder is among the most heroic things you can do for yourself.
We can help. We provide medically supervised detoxification, a rehabilitation program built around group and individual therapy sessions, and a commitment to providing ongoing resources and support when your time in treatment comes to an end. When you are ready for your starring role as a person who has put drugs or alcohol behind them, we are ready to work with you to achieve that success.
