Dallas Bragg, a chemsex recovery coach, explains why early recovery plateaus feel boring and why that's not a problem. The real danger is interpreting the plateau as failure and backsliding. Moving forward requires a strong internal "why" that goes beyond keeping a job or partner.
Okay, so what happens when you plateau in your recovery? Hi, my name is Dallas. I am a chemsex recovery coach for men who have sex with men. When you plateau, you feel like things level off. You aren't as excited about the milestones anymore. Maybe you're starting to feel what you think is boredom. But a plateau is just a chance for you to rest, recoup, and recharge. But you know, gay men like to turn everything into something Negative about them in early recovery. So you will place a meaning on plateau as, oh, I need to do something right now. I can't stay like this. This is stagnant. This is stagnant. I have to remedy the situation because I can't feel uncomfortable for one minute, and a plateau means there's something I'm doing wrong. And none of that is true. A plateau will only be a negative part of your recovery if you want it to be a negative part of your recovery. When you get to the plateau, usually it's when you've reached a point in your recovery that you've been before. And so you don't really be— you're not, you're not able to conceptualize what's next. What's on the next ridgeline? And so you begin to be uncomfortable with uncertainty. And a lot of times that'll make you drift backwards or make you second-guess yourself. In a plateau, what you need is an incentive up there on the mountaintop to keep you going, and that incentive is your why. Why am I doing this? Why am I quitting crystal meth? Why am I in recovery? And if your why is something that's weak, that's something like, I don't want to lose my job, I don't want to lose my partner, something that's external to you, Oftentimes that's not a strong enough incentive to lace up your boots and get going up that mountain. You need a why that's from the heart. You need a why that says, this is not my identity any longer. I am building a life that is so good, I don't need crystal meth in it whatsoever. My why is that I am not a chemsex user any longer, and I'm going to build that life with Gusto, drive, and strength. And that helps you to rest, recoup, reevaluate your why, and start going up the next mountain. If this resonates with you, why not apply for our group coaching program? It's 12 weeks, 10 men, and we meet 2 hours a week with one-on-one sessions with me and my team in between. If you're interested, again, comment group and we'll get you the application.
