What Winners Do – An Addiction Recovery Blog Stories, Struggles And Success of A Recovering Addict Trying to Do What Winners Do

Addiction Recovery: Identifying Feelings

Posted on March 20, 2010

So you enter into addiction recovery and the promise is that before you know it you will begin to have "feelings" again. It's not easy dealing with this after going for whatever period of time numbing your feelings and emotions. But you would think after being in recovery since January I would kind of get used to this already!

Happy Fourth Of July

Posted on March 19, 2010

Happy Fourth of July to everyone. I hope you have fun gathering with friends and family to celebrate our countries independence. Maybe catch a parade, have a cookout and wrap the day up with some fireworks. What could be better than that?

Last year's Fourth of July was a pretty difficult time for me. Being 6 months into my recovery, I was still filled with a lot of uncontrollable emotions that had been ignored for so long. I kind of had an emotionally draining day which left me looking for something... anything to make it stop. I guess that's why I popped a pill.

We’re Only As Sick As Our Secrets

Posted on March 18, 2010

We've all heard this saying in addiction recovery that we're only as sick as our secrets. This is something that I think holds 100% truth.

I had explained a couple of weeks ago that my sibling that was in recovery was now in active addiction again. He has now once again broke the news to my parents that he is in fact back on drugs and that all of the money that they put up for him to get off drugs the last time has essentially been for nothing.

What I've learned about my family during the last few days is that they try to keep so many secrets. It's exhausting trying to keep up with who knows what and who should be kept in the dark. And then it hit me... we're only as sick as our secrets.

Why Do You Tempt Me?

Posted on March 17, 2010

This will just be a quick one but I was just looking on an addiction message board. I like to check out other sites and see what people are doing, what kind of questions are being asked and just to read some stuff from some people that are in the same boat as myself.

Identifying The Addiction Area Of The Brain Will Lead To Advances In Addiction Treatment

Posted on March 16, 2010

You know how they get lab rats all hooked on junk for scientific reasons? Well, it looks as though this has paid off recently with the identification of the "addiction area" in the brain. Scientists have found that with an injection into the brain of the lab rat, they can temporarily eliminate the rat's desire for the drugs. It works for rats, but what does this mean for humans?

You Have Got To Check Out Mereggie, A.K.A. Me Reggie McDonald – A True Story

Posted on March 15, 2010

Although I had seen Sickgirl's post about mereggie on The Write Thought, I hadn't checked out the mereggie site until right now...it is amazing. It is one of those sites that really hits home. Maybe it reminds you of how fortunate you and your family were that you didn't end up like this...or it might remind you of the addict in your life and the potential for something like this to happen.

Mereggie is a website dedicated to the true story of Reggie McDonald. He was a drug addict, who under the influence of crystal meth left his house one day and never returned. Despite a country wide search...he wasn't found.

Addiction Recovery: My Motivation Level Hasn’t Changed

Posted on March 14, 2010

It occurred to me, as I'm sitting here thinking about all the stuff I have to get done today, that I would never have completed all the things on my daily "to do" list when I was actively addicted to Oxycontin. Has my motivation level change all that much?

I’m a Drug Addict Not a Journalist

Posted on March 13, 2010

If you are very early in your recovery from drugs or alcohol you were probably given the advice to keep a journal. I know, I know, I felt exactly the same way. It just sounds pretty lame. Plus addicts are not the type of people that want to have any permanent record of the weird and deviate thoughts that go on in our addict brains. When I was told to keep a journal I pictured myself laying stomach down on my bed with my legs bent up at the knees, crossed at the ankles and swinging back and forth while I write: Dear Diary...

Who Do Feelings Still Scare The Shit Out Of Me?

Posted on March 12, 2010

It's been just about two years clean for me and still I struggle with feelings and emotions. I often wonder what I'm doing wrong. Why do feelings still bother me so much? Why do I tend to keep things in even though I KNOW that it's harmful to me? What the fuck am I so afraid of?

I think there was a time early on in my recovery when I just let everything fly. If I was feeling something I acknowledged it, found some way of getting it out... and I moved on. What happened? Something must have happened along the way to get me back into the mindset that I need to be keeping my feelings and emotions inside and not letting anyone know I'm bothered. I didn't see this happening.

Amy Winehouse In Rehab…Again

Posted on March 11, 2010

Healthyunhealthy

Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of Amy Winehouse's music. I absolutely love her style and feel that in the world of today's music, it is very unique.

What is not unique is Amy Winehouse's addiction problems. She has been on a downward spiral for a long time which included an attempt to enter a rehab facility in August of 2007. That attempt at recovery lasted about three days and obviously had no lasting effect. So will January 24th's check in to rehab be any different than the last?