By: C. W. Stratton “Self-deception is the surest way to self-destruction. Reality has a way of catching up with us.”~Sam Erwin How Am I Deceiving Myself? I’m Doing So Good! Active addiction is filled with so many feelings and emotions; guilt, shame, low self-esteem, low self-worth, feelings of inadequacy and feelings of being […]
But why do people use? In each of the three categories there’s a common denominator – feelings and emotions. You know, those things that we do our best to guard and to avoid discussing. The way we deal with them often dictates how our day will be and how we respond or react to different situations.
A true Master Juggler knows how many objects they can effectively keep in the air, and then catch. We have to have the same awareness in our recovery. What can we reasonably accomplish on any given day?
By: C. W. Stratton “Feeling powerless and not acting is like being hungry and not choosing to eat.” ~Naoshad Pochkhanawala Step 1 or Stalled? The recovery process is full of concepts, phrases, simple quotes, and words that we either take for granted or use them to our advantage in many ways. When we […]
The “script” is the story we choose to say to those around us. Many times, it’s the same story. . . word for word. This is because it’s comfortable and familiar. Better yet, it feels safe. The script contains information that we know won’t be too shameful, hurtful or embarrassing.
When we entered that first self-help meeting, many of us were uncertain, confused and even a bit fearful. Right from the beginning, we were worried about what people would think of us. Would they accept us?
By: C. W. Stratton Relapse is the return of an illness after a period of improvement. As we are aware, alcoholism and drug addiction are a disease. Recovery is the improvement. A relapse is returning to active use of substances. Also, relapse is a return to bad behavior that you had stopped doing. Through my years as […]
” An apple tree is just like a person. In order to thrive, it needs companionship that’s similar to it in some ways, but quite different than others.” ~ Jeffrey Stepakoff, The Orchard
We don’t know their stories. We always have to be aware that for some, their childhood experiences before active addiction, have had negative impacts on their recovery. These experiences can range from trauma, mental disorders, and even negative messages conveyed by loved ones and family members.
The process of recovery consists of making significant adjustments in our lives. Upon entering the process, we come with plenty of baggage that has weighed us down for years. This baggage has dictated how we move about in this world, and since it’s been so heavy, it’s restricted us from entering places in the world that many of us have yearned to be a part of.
Change: people, places, and things. Some may be tired of hearing this constantly repeated in meetings, but many of us need to continue hearing the message as a reminder of how our addictions have impacted us on so many levels, and that returning to the familiar, and risky hangouts or communicating with our using buddies often sets us up for a relapse.
While we would like an immediate end to the struggles, fights, and heartache of addiction, healing for the individual and the family is a process. Part of the process of healing for the family is finding support from people in a similar situation. Joining any family components offered at a treatment facility, or attending family support groups affiliated with 12 Step programs, faith-based groups, or codependency groups will help a family member heal
Family roles become confusing, and the members seem to stumble over one another trying to figure out how to fix the problem. Making attempts at fixing the problem creates even more dysfunction within the family dynamic.
By: C.W. Stratton MS, CASAC “Just remember that you are absolutely unique, just like everybody else.” ~Margaret Mead The Beginning of the End of Unique Thinking Reflecting on the recovery process and my interactions with hundreds of people over the years has allowed me to come to some simple conclusions. We come into the process […]
