All my life, I have suffered from a need to appear perfect in other people’s eyes. I thought I had to do everything right in order to be accepted and when something did not go the way I wanted it to, I would get frustrated and angry. I knew I had to learn to control […]
When I came back into recovery after a lengthy relapse, I knew I had to make a daily commitment to stay clean and sober – even if only for that day. Making commitments can sometimes be overwhelming because there is risk involved. This risk results in two different fears: the fear of relapse and the […]
A sense of loneliness is often created by a change in a person’s life. Coming into recovery can force someone to give up their old social circle and end relationships that at one time may have been important to them. Loneliness can strike when a person is alone or it can happen in a room […]
One of the most important things we learn in recovery is to listen to others. When we stop listening to others and only listen to ourselves, we in essence have taken back our self will. When we get clean and sober, we try to surrender our will and we begin to take advice from others, […]
Many of us develop some very unhealthy ways of thinking for various reasons. It is important that we learn to catch these harmful and sometimes depressing thoughts and focus more on the positive. For example, we can be mind-readers – we are sure we know what other people are thinking, particularly about us – and […]
Ego is one of the worst “poisons” – it can be more lethal to our well-being than anything else. If we allow our ego to take over, we can destroy personal relationships, working relationships and friendships. An inflated ego has the power to make us see things differently than they actually are. Ego is the […]
Resentments about the past can make it hard to be happy in life. To hold a grudge against someone is detrimental and when we come into recovery, we need to forgive a perceived wrong-doing against us and stop feeling the resentment. Some addicts and alcoholics can be full of resentments, often blaming others for their […]
Since I got sober…… When I get up in the morning, I feel healthy – physically, emotionally and spiritually. My first thought of the day is “what will I do today”, not “where or when will I get my first drink”. I walk with my head up, not looking at the ground. I laugh more […]
Since I got sober, I wake up every morning and remember where I was and what I did the night before. I am not afraid to pick up the telephone when it rings and I answer all the calls. I open all the brown envelopes that come in the mail. I have had the same […]
Emotions are like the waves in an ocean; calm waters or giant waves, either high or low tides and play an important role in our lives. How we feel can often affect our decisions; both positive and negative emotions can be enormous motivators. Processing negative emotions is difficult and we often put those aside until […]