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Why You Plateau (and how to maximize it)

Apr 13, 2026
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A Note Before We Begin

One of the basic tenets I teach in my program is that Recovery = Life. There is no differentiation between recovery skills and life skills.

Not sure when we learned to separate the two. 

A basic life experience is reaching a plateau. This could be in your fitness journey, career, relationships, etc. This same phenomenon occurs in recovery. 

Mine happened about 18 months into my meth-free life. I had spent that time almost addicted to the dopamine hits of milestones: job, driver's license, home, kids coming to live with me, graduation from treatment, then drug court. 

Then. Nothing. 

There were no big cravings to overcome, declining of pipe invitations, and Grinder was eliminated. 

Now what? 

Your plateau may look very different. 

It's Tuesday afternoon, when nothing is exactly wrong. You're substance-free. You're doing the work. You're showing up to your sessions, filling out your forms, maybe even sleeping again. And yet — something feels flat. The air feels thin. You look around and notice that the climb doesn't feel like a climb anymore.

That's the plateau. And if you're standing on one right now, I want you to read every word of what follows.


The Climb That Brought You Here

Think back to the beginning of your recovery.

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