What Is Stage 2 Recovery?

I am forever indebted to the late Ernie Larsen who introduced me to this concept via his book, “Stage II Recovery” which I read, in the early 1980s, not long after it was published. He pointed out that before a person enters into the recovery process, it is like they were lying down, incapacitated, at the starting line of life. The recovery process, through thoroughly working the 12 Steps of the various 12 Step programs, prepares folks to be able to start trudging that road to happy destiny.

The recovery process quite exquisitely allows them to clean out their insides of all the accumulated stuff that kept them using and taught new resources and habits to ensure that the addictions do not become active again. What it doesn’t do is to teach all the getting on living stuff that ensures that there can be a happy destiny. Once their addictions are no longer a problem, they are still at the starting line of life, though now they are standing up and ready to begin that journey.

Here is where Stage 2 Recovery starts. There is a problem that folks face who no longer are in active addiction and for whom the urge to use or drink has been lifted and is no longer an issue, especially if their addictions started when they were quite young. All of the getting on living stuff, like how to deal with relationships, building self-esteem, developing life-sustaining good habits, developing emotional maturity and skillfully and exquisitely navigating through the minefield called life, are now having to be learned for the first time. A common bit of recovery wisdom states that at whatever age a person starts developing addictions, is approximately the level of maturity and learning they are starting with at the beginning of Stage 2 Recovery.

My expertise is to teach these skills and to counsel and coach my clients as they put these skills into being. If this resonates with you and you would like to explore how working with me can greatly accelerate your ability to progress through Stage 2, please take advantage of my offer for a free exploratory session.

To schedule an appointment for this life-changing session. Email Me at jason@s4autom.com Or Call me at 213-804-4408