Another Gift of Recovery

I have struggles in my life that I have to cope with every day: my daughter’s surgeries, realizing not everyone is as passionate about recovery as I am, people I care about still struggling with addiction, comfort eating, etc. I do not touch on those as much, because I focus on my solutions instead of my problems. Some days that is harder to do than others. Today is not one of those days!

Today I just want to say that I feel extremely blessed and that recovery is amazing. 

The Missouri Recovery Network got a grant to help them coordinate peer recovery specialists across the state and build an effective peer network. They chose 8 people in long-term recovery from around the state to help them do that, 1 from each major part of Missouri. I was the representative they chose from the Springfield area!

How awesome is that?

To think, 7 years ago I was still mired in addiction, engaging in all my old character defects. In hindsight, I was not even fit to represent myself. Now, I am an ambassador for recovery in my community. Today, I have gone from being a full time knucklehead to a part-time knucklehead by focusing on my recovery like I used to focus on my addiction.

Addiction was my life.

Recovery is my life.

My recovery never takes a day off……………..ever! I fill each day with things that either build my recovery or build my spirituality. I do a daily gratitude list everyday. Simple but easy, 3 things in my life I have to be grateful for and spend 5-10 minutes focusing on them. Talking to accountability partners and listening to the feedback they give me. Attending recovery support meetings in the community. Working through the steps with my sponsor, listening and applying his feedback. And I give back!

In addiction I was a hope stealer.

In recovery I am a hope dealer.  

I try to make sure my recovery is altruistic. I do good for other people and I have no expectations from them. Will some relapse? You bet. Will some never use again? Absolutely! I want there to be a lot of fun, sober activities for people to engage in. I want there to be ways for us to give back to our communities. In order to do this, I started an organization called Better Life in Recovery (BLiR)  www.betterlifeinrecovery.com

BLiR does a lot to advance recovery: a weekly bowling night, game nights every month, Recovery Day at Hammons Field during recovery month, a stream team that floats twice a month, a 5K/10K Recovery Run with a family fun BBQ after. We partner with SoBear, a collegiate recovery group. We partner with Springfield Public Schools and are painting 6 elementary school playgrounds this year.

RECOVERY GIVES BACK!

People in recovery ARE RESOURCES!

My live is a living amends, and I love to share my recovery. I am grateful to the Missouri Recovery Network for giving me that opportunity!

RECOVERY ROCKS!!