In one of my first lectures in treatment, I kept hearing about the spiritual principles that I needed to incorporate into my recovery. For the principles listing on the sign-up sheet, I falsely assumed that I’d go to a dimly lit room, with incense wafting and cloistered monks reading from musty, dusty tomes. I hoped that they would enlighten me and give me ancient wisdom on how to change.
Instead, I learned from recovering people like myself in recovery support meetings.
Note from Marilyn L. Davis: While this is a slight departure from many of the blogs on addiction and recovery, it is an excellent reminder of the power of words. When you share your recovery, know that what you say, how you say something, and when you say it might be the difference in healing […]
By: Rev. Dr. Kevin T. Coughlin PhD. “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” ~Nelson Mandela Is Addiction a Crime? Since the eighties, the judicial system hasn’t changed their […]
For many of us, admitting that there is a substance abuse problem or addiction creates fear, shame, and embarrassment. As a result, the only way we can come to terms with it is to avoid it. Avoiding the truth of the problem relies on denying that there is a problem, rationalizing or justifying.
“I think that the best kind of change, is the change that comes from the inside and begins its way out until it emerges on the outside; a change that is born underneath then continues and spreads until it has reached the surface.
That’s a true change. A powerful change. And I have found that while we are emerging, changing into something glorious; it is actually us becoming who we really are.― C. JoyBell C.
“Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude.” ― Katherine Mansfield
. By: Marilyn L. Davis Moon, Life, and Recovery Phases ___ “When I look over my past, I see that the stages in my life are like the phases of the moon. I’ve had periods where I was the waxing gibbous: fat with wealth and success. There have been other seasons when my happiness […]
“Affirmations are our mental vitamins, providing the supplementary positive thoughts we need to balance the barrage of negative events and thoughts we experience daily.”― Tia Walker, The Inspired Caregiver: Finding Joy While Caring for Those You Love
By: RevKev “I thought over and over about what I was going to do when Carly overdosed and died. How would we go on? And then I knew: I wouldn’t go on. And then I realized that it was just going to be too painful to actually have to watch her die. Right in front […]
When people have clarity, there is no question that using drugs and alcohol are self-defeating. However, when we are in the grips of our addiction, we do not see reality. Many of us require a caring intervention by others to understand just how much harm we have inflicted, the damage to our relationships, and to know that there are still people willing to help.
If you could trace your financial, legal and relationship difficulties to strawberries, would you willingly stop eating them? What if each time you ate a strawberry you broke out in hives? Would you discontinue eating strawberries if you had to stay home from work due to the facial swelling
If you think about this logically, anyone that “falls in love” with you early in your recovery is getting involved with a person that you are trying to change. Therefore, you would have to stay the same to sustain the relationship, and that would be the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish in yo
For most of us, we’re afraid when we think about changing the patterns of our lives, whether it’s giving up drugs or alcohol, or changing the way we think, feel, and act. After all, we have done or been something for so long that those actions, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings are mechanical or habituated. These predictable actions are the norm, and when we leave the comfort zone, we get anxious.
To break down associations, identify who the person reminds you of; then make a conscious effort to not filter the message by the association or past connection.
