Tag: recovery
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One Is Never Enough, Ten Will Never Do – A Poem About Addiction
Having suffered through the bonds of addiction, I sought in this poem to somehow put into perspective what the transformation of an addict is like. It never starts off as tragedy, but as a solution to all life’s problems – the missing puzzle piece that we’ve been searching for all of our life to make…
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Going All-In For Recovery
One of the most detrimental things an addict / alcoholic can do to hinder their recovery is to believe the world’s view that their problem is an external one – that if only they’d quit drinking or drugging they’d be restored, good as new. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The belief that alcohol /…
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Prayer For Guidance – How To Make Hard Decisions and Choices
There are no guarantees in life. And in a sense, I guess that’s what makes it so beautiful. What satisfaction and joy would come out of living if we already knew exactly how our lives would go? But on the other side of the coin, hard decisions and choices can be downright scary and stressful…
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The Problem With Pain – A Poem
The problem with pain is its ability to cast a spell over us, convincing us it’ll last forever. The weakest mind can handle temporary havoc, but when faced with a future filled with nothing but misery, we all become broken – lost, scared, and uncertain about how we’re going to make it through another day.…
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Sweeping Up the Past – A Poem
Sweeping up the shattered shards of old, unfulfilled dreams, He smiled, Knowing that what he’d been searching for Had stood right in front of him all along – He’d just needed the courage To reach out and grasp it, To release his grip on the past, Open up his hands, And let it shatter upon…
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Staying Sober During the Holidays
With the holidays coming up, I thought I might offer some suggestions on how to make it through without drinking or using – at least the things that I will be doing to keep myself focused. For whatever the reason, I think Christmas is always the hardest holiday to stay sober. Many of us are…
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Accepting the Invitation of Sobriety
Often times, the chains that are holding us back from moving forward are not fears or worries about the future, but fears of letting go of the past. We may not like the person we are and where we’ve been, but we’re comfortable with that person – we recognize their face in the mirror. Sobriety actually…
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The War on Addiction
Breaking any addiction is hard work. There’s always a period when your body and mind fight back, and you doubt your reasoning for quitting in the first place. I think this is where most people fail. They convince themselves they don’t actually want to quit and go back to the safety of their addiction, listening…
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A.A. Step 2 – The Hope for Recovery
There’s no point in addressing a problem if you don’t have a solution. But before you even dive into the solution, there’s a force that drives you there- hope. Hope is the fuel to the fire of recovery. The second you lose hope, the solution doesn’t matter anymore because “it’ll never work for me”, “I…
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Walk On
If the road stretches you, walk on. Sprint, stumble, or crawl but walk on. Don’t look for the exit signs, the mile markers, rest stops, or places to lodge. Fix yourself to the road ahead, not the distractions on the sidelines. Hold your destination firmly in your hands and grip it tight, or else it’ll…
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Step 1 – Embracing Our Powerlessness
“1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable.” (Alcoholics Anonymous) When many of us come to the first step in Alcoholics Anonymous, we seem ready and eager to accept it without too much thought. Of course I’m ready to quit, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t. Unmanageable…my life is…
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Finding Meaning During Hard Times
The worst thing about mental illness is not that it cages your life, but that it cages your soul. You feel trapped, doomed to live life as a person that doesn’t feel or resemble the real “you”. More than anything else though, I think it makes it nearly impossible to find hope in your life.…
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Reflecting On The Journey
With all positive change comes great adversity. All too often, adversity stops us short of ever seeing the positive change that only happens by pushing through difficult times. Even when positive changes are transforming our lives, we are so focused on the discomfort that we are unable to see them. We reluctantly look forward, overwhelmed…
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How Do You Know If You’re An Alcoholic?
An in-depth post from a recovering alcoholic on the signs and symptoms of alcoholism, a note for loved ones, and about recovery.
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