Most days this is very easy to swallow but sometimes I am overwhelmed with frustration and can't shake the feeling that nice girls really do finish last.

We all probably know one or two people in life that always have a some kind of scam going that puts them ahead. Whether they stole a computer from work or they fudged some numbers and got paid a little more than they should... they always seem to be getting things without having to work for them.

I know that karma isn't as simple as doing something good and having something good happen to you (you know, like on My Name Is Earl) but sometimes I feel like the only thing that I get for things like letting the cashier know that she didn't charge me for an item is... a bigger bill.

I can already hear you guys telling me that first off I shouldn't be concerned with what others in life have no matter how they got it and that my reward for doing good deeds and being honest is peace of mind and the knowledge that I'm an honest person.

Most of the time I am there with you. I would say about 96% of the time I agree but sometimes I just get fed up. I guess this was one of those times.

But ya know what? Just getting these thoughts outside my head and being able to examine them have put me a little more at ease.

So what if I don't have the easiest financial situation in the world... a lot of people don't. So what if I don't have the living situation of my dreams... a lot of people don't. It doesn't mean that I should compromise my beliefs to get ahead in life right?

You know, I secretly hope that because of all the hard situations I've had to deal with in my young adult life and because of the way that I've dealt with them that when I get older the cosmos will somehow reward me by making my senior life a breeze.

I'm not saying in any way that I don't have a good life. I do. I have a loving family, a great husband and a child that I adore. I am no longer using drugs to "feel good" and I have long periods of time when my mind is at peace. When you really get down to it... what else do you need right?

Thanks for listening.

Related posts:

1. Addictive Thinking: Preoccupied With Past Thoughts
2. Addiction Recovery: Everything Is Copacetic
3. Peace Of Mind Gives Me…Nothing To Write About

For anyone who has entered into addiction recovery, one thing becomes clear...support is needed in order for you to be successful in your addiction recovery.

"You alone can do it, but you cannot do it alone" - O. Hobart Mowrer

But what makes support such an important component to a successful recovery? And what is the meaning of support when it's pertaining to addiction recovery?

It's my understanding that when you are speaking about support in recovery you are really talking about a kind of give and take of honesty. A kind of honesty that others in recovery can identify with. It is this ability to identify with others and have others identify with us that is the true definition of support.

The only thing that makes this type of honesty possible is a little something I like to call...HUMILITY. Humility is basically the acceptance of being human. What better way is there to accept being human than to be able to listen to someone else talk about a situation that they are experiencing that is very similar to our own?

When you hear/read the trials and tribulations that another is experiencing with their humanness and it strikes a familiar chord with you, you're able to say...ok, I'm not alone on this one, I'm not weird, I'm human. That thought process is the very reason why support is so important in addiction recovery.

Support is not so much about getting answers from others. I mean, who really knows anything right? We're all here on earth for the first time trying to make our way through life. Support is more about realizing that we are not alone in having imperfections. It's also about realizing that our imperfections do not make us bad people. Our imperfections make us human.

Now, when I talk about support I don't mean that everyone needs to attend support meetings or twelve step programs, although that is helpful for a lot of people. Support can be found in numerous ways. The key is to find what works for you. I find that I need to feel accountable to whatever support system I'm involved with. Everyone needs accountability in addiction recovery.

At this point in my life I am finding that blogging and receiving comments on my posts as well as reading other people's blogs and commenting on them is all the addiction recovery support I need. Will that always be the case? Who knows. I'm not ruling out other forms of support. I'm just going with what works for me right now.

Thank you to those few people out there that have given me the support I need for a successful recovery. Hopefully you know who you are.

Related posts:

1. Backsliding or Human Imperfection?
2. Just Raise Your Hand
3. Trying to White Knuckle it

This site caught my attention at first because it looks cool but The Second Road is much more than a cool looking website.

It is starting a true addiction recovery community feel amongst it's members. All members create their own page and have the ability to write quick updates in a recovery journal which they can share with others or keep private. This feature is really great because it gives the feel of sharing at a meeting.

You post an entry in your journal and if you choose to make it public it is put on the members journal page which allows everyone to see it and those who have a response can respond on your page. It's a really neat set up.

There aren't that many members right now so it still has that smaller community feel to it. I did happen to see a couple of familiar names on the member list such as Bottlecappie and The Junky's Wife which made me smile.

As membership grows I can see myself spending a lot of time on The Second Road.

Related posts:

1. Putting It All Out There
2. I’m a Drug Addict Not a Journalist
3. What Does My Being A Copywriter Have To Do With You?