What Does It Mean to Drop the Rock in Recovery?

What Does It Mean to Drop the Rock in Recovery?

In recovery, “dropping the rock” refers to letting go of the negative emotions we carry around that keep us from achieving our goals, in this case, the goal of sobriety. This may first require realizing that you’re carrying this burden and acknowledging the weight of it. It then requires a willingness to release these emotions so that they no longer hold you back from the life you deserve.

The Drop the Rock Book

The phrase “drop the rock” is one that is commonly used in recovery, particularly in Alcoholics Anonymous. This term is derived from a book entitled Drop the Rock: Removing Character Defects, written by Bill P., Todd W., and Sara S. This book is meant to be a guide to applying AA’s steps 6 and 7 to a person’s life. [1] These steps include:

• Being ready to have God remove a person’s defects of character
• Humbly asking God to remove a person’s shortcomings

The Drop the Rock Story

The “drop the rock” story is one told in recovery to encourage members to let go of the things that are dragging them down and keeping them from living a fulfilling and sober life. In the story, there is a group of Twelve Step members taking a boat ride to the Island of Serenity. As they’re leaving the dock, they realize that a member of their group, named Mary, missed the boat, so they begin encouraging her to swim to the boat to catch it.

Mary jumps in the water and immediately begins to struggle. She tries to swim, but she just keeps sinking. The other members of the group notice a large rock hanging around Mary’s neck, so they shout at her to drop the rock. Eventually, Mary notices the big rock hanging around her neck that was holding her back. After asking God to help her, she disentangles it from her neck and easily swims to the boat.

At the end of the story, Mary climbs aboard, and everyone welcomes her with congratulations. She then peers back into the water and sees another forgotten member struggling to swim to the boat. She shouts to them, “Drop the rock!”.

What Does the Rock Symbolize?

In the story, it’s clear that the rock symbolizes all of the negative emotions standing in the way of a Twelve-Step Member and their sobriety. Some of these hindrances and obstacles might include:

• Self-pity
• Intolerance
• Anger
• Fear
• Dishonesty
• Resentments

Dropping the rock symbolizes the spiritual growth that is necessary to let go of all of these negative feelings and apprehensions in order to achieve and maintain sobriety.

About Alcoholics Anonymous

“Drop the rock” is just one of the core principles of recovery embraced by the organization Alcoholics Anonymous, which was founded in Akron, Ohio, in 1935. [2] Today, AA has over 123,000 chapters across the world. It’s free to join, and there are no membership requirements other than a desire to become sober.

At the foundation of AA is its 12-step program, steeped in spirituality. Members are encouraged to follow these 12 steps to quit drinking and prevent relapse:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

The idea is that by following these 12 steps, a person can lead a life of serenity and sobriety.

Effective Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder and Substance Abuse

Alcoholics Anonymous can be a good resource in addiction recovery. Many people throughout the world continue to benefit from the twelve-step program. It could be essential to point out, though, that AA is not a necessary component of successful recovery. In some cases, its focus on a higher power might not align with everyone’s values, and that’s ok. The important thing is to seek evidence-based treatment, including peer support. [3]

What Works for Alcohol Use Disorder?

A great deal of research has been conducted to determine what works and what doesn’t for helping people recover from alcohol use disorder. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends a number of different research-backed treatments, such as: [4]

• Medication-based detox and relapse prevention (e.g., naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram)
• Behavioral treatments such as contingency management, motivational enhancement, and brief interventions
• Mental health treatment, including mindfulness-based interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy for individuals, family counseling, group therapy, and couples counseling
• Aftercare support and relapse prevention, including community-based services, residential programs, and mutual aid groups

These alcohol use disorder treatments can be delivered in various settings, including hospital-based programs, outpatient rehabilitation facilities, and 24/7 residential care programs. The recommended setting for an individual with AUD will depend on a number of factors, including how long they’ve been drinking, the severity of the condition, and any other co-occurring conditions they’re experiencing.

Individualized AUD Treatment

Perhaps the best treatment program for alcohol use disorder is one that is customized to the individual needs of the person seeking treatments. AUD is a complex and layered disorder that might require a multifaceted approach. Qualified substance abuse and rehabilitation counselors can design a treatment plan that considers the whole person, not just their drinking problem.