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. 

Long-Term Recovery: Overcoming Resentments

I was asked to talk to one of my friend’s friends. She had overdosed and would be spending a couple of weeks in the hospital. She had also gotten a probation violation. As we talked all I heard were resentments. She was angry with the world!

“How dare the hospital keep me here.”

“How dare my probation officer file a violation.”

“If my friend hadn't got me high, I wouldn't be in his mess.”

Her resentments reminded me of………..me! Resentments robbed me of my serenity for years. I allowed them to keep me trapped in a cycle of addiction for years. If not resolved, they will do the same to you!

Long-Term Recovery: The Gratitude List

I sat with my family, opening presents Christmas morning while sipping hot tea and thought about how much my life has changed. I was satisfied spending time with my family, watching movies and having a family day at home. I was grateful for all I had instead of focusing on what I didn't have. I was content and happy. It was not always that way.

I used to wake up after hitting the snooze  button several times. I would get dressed stressed. I would skip breakfast, or grab something greasy and unhealthy on the way to work. People driving the speed limit or slower would instantly kick in my road rage because I was running late and they obviously could care less about it. My mornings sucked, and it bled into the rest of my day.

Long-Term Recovery: The One Rule that Changed My Life

One rule that can change your life…….

Does that sound too good to be true?

 Is there really one rule that can change your life?

YES!!!

I am living proof that you can change your life. I have been through the wringer. I hit rock bottom and grabbed a shovel. It wasn't good enough for me. If being bad was all I was good at I wanted to excel. I gave my addictions my all. I had a hole in me that I kept trying to fill. There was never enough drugs, girls or money to fill the void, so I kept doing more.  

Then I hit my last bottom. I realized I not only needed to get clean, I wanted to get clean. I worked recovery like I had addiction, all day every day. I made positive changes instead of just talking about them. One of those changes was asking myself several questions before I did anything. After a while, I no longer needed to ask myself the questions anymore.

Why?

The Platinum Rule beats the Golden Rule for Long-Term Recovery

When I got sober, I believed I deserved to hurt. I deserved pain for the people I hurt. There was a massive trail of broken lives in the wake my addiction had created. When I got hurt, I knew I had it coming. My sponsor saw I had this problem and talked to me about the Golden Rule. I had trouble relating to it.

Next he introduced me to the Silver Rule, thinking I could understand that better. The Silver Rule posits, "One shouldn't treat others in a way they would not like to be treated." This still did not work. I thought I had to do penance for old behaviors. When bad things happened, I chalked them up to reaping what I sowed.

I knew I had to become more positive so I looked to the person I felt positive about. No matter how much I disliked myself, I loved my sister. At the time she was the person I loved the most. I did not ever want to see someone mistreat her. She was my inspiration for the Platinum Rule, which is to:

TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT THEM TO TREAT THE PERSON YOU CARE ABOUT MOST