Analyzing our needs and wants in recovery is essential as overcompensating our wants and underappreciating what we actually need can rapidly lead to unwanted pressure from financial consequences as a result of poor decision-making with regard to measuring our needs versus our wants. Financial calamity is a chief component of many relapse scenarios.  Knowing the difference between a need and a want can easily be determined and measured within the realm of serving someone other than ourselves. Putting our recovery first and at the center of our lives assists in correctly measuring our true needs and side-stepping ego or greed-satisfying wants.  No plan will have success if it does not help someone other than ourselves. As we serve others we serve ourselves. This service makes viewing our needs in the proper light and helps us avoid serving up our wants ahead of what we actually need.

Recovery is a process of decisions.