It’s said laughter is the best medicine. It makes you feel good and helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations. It is contagious and primes your brain and readies you to smile. It can also protect you from the damaging effects of stress. In other words, don’t take yourself too seriously. That’s what Rule 62 is all about. Learning to have some fun during recovery means poking fun at one’s self and allowing yourself to laugh again.
According to research from Brown University, stress and addiction go hand-in-hand. Acute stress can lead to drug abuse in vulnerable individuals and increase the risk of relapse in recovering addicts. The National Institutes of Health points to stress as a well-known risk factor in the development of addiction and in addiction relapse vulnerability. Keeping things in perspective on a daily basis makes this rule vital for recovering addicts.
It is important to understanding that recovery from addiction is a long process and one with lots of challenges along the way. This process requires time, commitment, motivation and support. It also requires the ability to find laughter and joy in our lives again.
It is easy for addicts to get caught up in the pain and the devastation of their addiction as well as the loss it has caused in their life. However, being able to laugh at themselves and the disease can help them gain perspective and relieve the tension addiction has caused.
Applying Rule 62 does not imply that the recovery process itself should not be taken seriously, or that you don’t have to work at it. That would be misleading. Since drug abuse often stems from misguided attempts to manage stress, Rule 62 shows a lighter side to life.
There are healthier ways to keep your stress levels in check and keep you from feeling stressed out or out of balance. Applying Rule 62 to your recovery process helps you put your issues into a healthy context. Learning to laugh with others and at one’s self is therapeutic. It can increase endorphins and our sense of well-being. Finding and keeping the balance in our lives is a key factor in overcoming addiction. Rule 62 helps addicts understand that, one day at a time.