Understanding Addiction and
Recovery
Recovery Metaphors
Part 5
• Tonight – More Metaphors that describe
addiction and recovery
1. Seasons, weather and Landscape/Geology
a) Four Seasons
i. Represent stages of life – birth,
childhood, adulthood, old age.
Corresponds to stages of Recovery
ii. Represent periods we will go through
from time to time – seasons we will
experience on a regular basis
• Spring – new life, lots of growth
• Summer – more growth, fun
• Fall/Autumn – harvest/fruitfulness
• Winter – cold, dormancy – why? - trees
b) Extreme weather/landscapes
• Desert – dry, barren, doesn’t support much life
• Drought – times of no rain
• Extreme heat
• Hurricane/Storms
• Why hurricanes and storms? They do so
much damage
i. Prune trees
ii. Spread seeds – greater fruitfulness
iii. Take rain clouds to places they don’t
normally go - places that are normally dry
iv. Stir the oceans – bring up nutrients from
the depths; oxygenate
• Earthquakes - upheaval
• Volcano - explosions
•
Mountains – uphill, constant work, danger of
falling; great view, but nothing grows
•
Valleys – “low” times
•
Flat Plains - boring