One of THOSE Days…Getting Through Tough Days In Recovery
So, you know THOSE type of days. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong down to the tiny things like driving away from the drive through to realize that they gave you a flavored iced coffee instead of the coffee flavored iced coffee that you wanted and needed...desperately.
So on a day when all those little things combined with a few big things start to pile up, how do you get through? That is, how do you get through with out the old standby solution of smoking or drinking or snorting your troubles away...for a little while.
Accept The Things I Cannot Change
I was thinking about the part of the serenity prayer that says "grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change".
Now, I'm not going to try and fool you into thinking that I go to NA/AA meetings all the time by talking the talk.
But, I do want to point out that there are a lot of things that I took away from my time in NA/AA that I find useful in my everyday life.
One of the things that I feel that I've struggled with has been the whole accepting the things I cannot change. Rationally I know the importance of this acceptance but I have struggled to take that rational thought and put it to use in my life.
That was until I heard myself telling my son "you do what you can, the very best that you can, and that is all you can do". Boom! How simple. But could it truly be that simple to accept the things I cannot change?
Fortune Teller or Fellow Recovering Addict?
You know how you file each blog post under a category? Well I was going to post something and thought that I would make a category named "personal".
Ooh, a personal category. That's where I could put all the stories about my life. Wait a minute...isn't this whole site about my life? It's personal really. Wouldn't I therefore have to put everything I wrote under personal?
I guess I'll skip that category. But this did bring up a nice reminder that I would like to share with you. Everything that I'm writing about on this site really is my life. I'm no fortune teller...we're just all in the same boat.
Spirituality In Addiction Recovery: This Little Light Of Mine…I’m Going To Let It Shine
Well if you've been paying attention at all to my ramblings you know that I have not really found religion in my addiction recovery. I have however grown a greater sense of spirituality in my addiction recovery.
For me, this spirituality is sometimes intertwined with a belief in god and other times...not so much. But I just wanted to share with you a belief that I have formed in my recovery and share with you something that just made it even stronger.
Just Don’t Do It Doesn’t Work…How Do We Tell Young People About The Dangers Of Addiction?
After reading a post over at TDA about Lame PSA's Blamed For Drug Use, I got to thinking about how we tell young people about the dangers of addiction.
The answer...we don't really do that at all. We tell them that if they use too many drugs they will lose their personality. We tell them not to drink and drive. We tell them that Oxycontin ruined our lives.
We even go so far as to tell them that if they smoke pot while babysitting the child will drown in the pool (seriously, have you seen this one?).
What we don't do is explain the true reasons why for some people drinking and drugging becomes an addiction that can take over their entire life and sometimes lead them so far down that they never come back up.
But how do you explain the dangers and warning signs of addiction to young people?
Addiction Recovery: Sickness or Backsliding?
In active addiction, part of my avoidance tactics included taking something like a small nagging headache and turning it into a reason to miss work, lay in bed all day and pretty much take a vacation from life.
Since those minor aches and pains show up more and more in active addiction...I spent a lot of time "sick".
The tendency to either fake or exaggerate illness as an avoidance tactic did not go away just because I stopped taking drugs.
It seemed that anytime I had an extremely full day or I wasn't in that great of a mood, my brain would want me to pretend that I was sick as a way of getting out of life.
It took a lot of hard work but I can say that since entering into addiction recovery I have not given into these impulses and have not once been "sick" for the sake of laying low. I felt that I was able to modify my bad behaviors. But let me tell you what I am experiencing now...
Amy Winehouse In Rehab…Again
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?
The First Year Of Recovery: Where I Came From…Where I’m Going
January 26th will be my one year anniversary of being in recovery. As far as I'm concerned, this has been the best year of my life. Sure, it wasn't the funnest, the easiest, or the most peaceful year. But as far as my well being is concerned, this has been my most productive year ever.
My first year in addiction recovery has been filled with many ups and downs, many ebbs and flows, many steps forward...and a couple of steps back. What is the most important thing I've learned? Stumble don't fall.
Instant Gratification Is A Huge Part of Addiction
Our world today is based upon instant gratification. Taking into consideration all of the technology that allows us to get what we want right when we want it, it's really no wonder that we are trying to apply that standard to our emotional state.
Think of all the ways that people use drugs or alcohol pertaining to instant gratification. If you are having a stressful day...pop a pill and feel de-stressed. If you are feeling a little social anxiety or lack of confidence in a situation...have a few drinks and get some liquid courage.
By feeding these types of emotional needs with drugs or alcohol we are in a way giving ourselves a quick fix - instant gratification. We are not working on the actual problems but finding an easy way out of them. But since instant gratification in all other areas of life have now become the norm...how are we supposed to delay our need for instant gratification?
Recent Posts
- Mother’s Day
- Maybe I’m Not Really an Addict
- Change Is Inevitable
- Are You Still Keeping Secrets In Your Recovery?
- One of THOSE Days…Getting Through Tough Days In Recovery
- Diabetes And Addiction Are A Lot Alike
- Breathing A Sigh of Relief
- Putting It All Out There
- Hey Look at My Narcotics Anonymous Key Tag, I’m a Drug Addict
- Accept The Things I Cannot Change
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