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

What a Cliche… Lonely on Valentine’s Day

Separated from my husband and without my kid on the weekends can leave me with a lot of down time. I try and fill that time with something constructive like working. But this weekend I find myself with nothing but time.

Throw in the fact that yesterday was Valentine's Day and that everyone I usually hang with has someone that they wanted to spend that Valentine's Day with... I was feeling a little lonely.

Well if you're feeling lonely you reach out to people right? Try to make connections? Well, I still have that little voice inside of me that tells me to do exactly the opposite. Hide, don't let anyone know how you're feeling, suck it up. Why do I do that?

Just Roll With It – The Importance Of Being Open To Change

I don't think I'm wrong in saying that a good number of addicts and alcoholics, whether active or not, have a teeny weeny problem with change.

It could be we lack the skills necessary to just roll with things, it could be that the way that we have dealt with change, good or bad, in the past has involved drugs or alcohol or it could just be that anything outside of our normal routine scares the poo out of us.

If there is one thing you need to accept in life, it's change. No situation lasts forever in life and that is why there is such a huge importance to be open to change.

Trying to White Knuckle it

Since I am trying to get used to being a more open and honest person I decided to join a few online groups. I have been making posts and replying to other peoples posts. What I am finding kind of shocking is the amount of people out there who are staying clean by white knuckling it.

Addictive Behavior: Procrastination

I procrastinate. There, I figured I would go ahead and say that right away before I put it off. Procrastination is a character flaw that I share with many other recovering addicts. Why do we procrastinate? Well it's certainly not because it feels good.

Last Post On Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms

Over the past couple of months I have been posting some articles dealing with my own experience of weening of Cymbalta and what Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms I have had. This will be the last Cymbalta related post...I swear.

Addictive Thinking: The Way I Deal With Pain Has Changed

I kind of touched on this subject before but I have realized that since being in addiction recovery, the way that I deal with aches and pains has really changed...for the better.

We’re Only As Sick As Our Secrets

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.

Who Do Feelings Still Scare The Shit Out Of Me?

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.