Trying to please other people has been a weakness I have grappled with my whole life. I always felt that if I wanted to keep peace with others and be accepted, I had to go along with others’ wants whether or not I agreed with them. I have learned (the hard way) that by always […]
A common personality trait among alcoholics and addicts is the need for instant gratification. For me, it became the drive to continue to abuse alcohol, even when I knew it was destroying my life. I self-medicated, hoping that I would experience that instant feeling of escape and that my problems would go away. In reality, […]
This past weekend, I made the decision to sit down and “review” my own progress in recovery. I began to think about the barriers I have faced and overcome, and those I still struggle with. I know from my past experience in recovery that it is very easy to get “stuck”. When this happens, sobriety […]
One important thing I have learned since coming back into recovery is that humility has made me much more open-minded. I knew that I had to open to new ideas and advice from others or my road to recovery would not progress – in fact, I could become “stuck.” I am not saying that today […]
I stay sober because I do not want to lose the time I spend with my wife, my kids, my grandkids and my friends. I stay sober because I want to walk down the main streets of the city with my head held high. I stay sober because I want to be invited to family […]
Those of us who come to recovery must do so because of our own choice and not be because we are forced into it. If we are an unwilling participant in treatment or other recovery programs, chances are we won’t be motivated to maintain our sobriety and any experience and advice shared by others in […]
I believe it is important for those of us in recovery to stop and look back at how far we have come – whether our recovery journey began yesterday, last month or last year. For me, my journey began about a year ago. The best decision I made was to return to treatment and try […]
Coming back into recovery last year, I honestly believed that the idea of letting go of the past was going to be impossible. I carried so much guilt and shame for what I had done, the unhappiness I had caused myself and others, it seemed to be a herculean task to get past it. My […]
For many years, I have lived my life as if my perceptions about people, places and things were real. I have learned in recovery that, in fact, they are not. Having suffered from low self-esteem and self-confidence, I believed what my mind was telling me. Things like “you can’t”, “you are not smart enough” or […]
Those of us in recovery often hear the expression “it’s a selfish program”, but if you belong to a 12-step program, you know that The Promises say “self-seeking will slip away”. What is the difference? In my opinion, we say our recovery program is selfish because our first priority is our sobriety. We may turn […]