The Problem With Thinking You’re Different When It Comes To Addiction

For us alcoholics, thinking that we are terminally unique is second nature to us. Most of us get sober, go to a recovery program, and look for the differences rather than the similarities. Nobody likes to believe that they have an alcohol or drug abuse problem, therefore it is natural to think that maybe we are different, maybe we aren’t alcoholics or addicts, and do not need sobriety and recovery. Maybe we were just having a hard time or we were just going through a time of hard partying.

 

Denial In Addiction Doesn’t Change The Fact That We Are Indeed - Addicts

When we listen to people’s stories and think to ourselves, “well that didn’t happen to me”, what we are doing is feeding that part of us that is trying to deny that we have a problem. The fact is that it does not matter how much we drank or used and what happened to us. All that matters is the consequences, the fact that we did not like and/or could not control our using and that our using affected  our loved ones.

Letting Go, Admitting You’re An Addict And Recovering

You must be willing to say that you are an addict..that you have no real power over your addiction. If you’re willing to listen for the similarities rather than the differences then it might help put things into perspective. Maybe you didn’t hit as deep of a bottom then some or most but if you listen carefully, surely you can identify with the feelings of being bankrupt spiritually, helpless, and shut off from the world. While we might not have come to the place of needing to get sober the same way as another addict, the fact is that we are all in this together and for the same reasons. You can have hope in recovery!

Feeling Hope In Sobriety And Sharing It With Other Addicts

One of the most beautiful things that most of us see when others get sober and go through the addiction recovery process is that sense of hope and excitement. For many of us to be alive and sober is not only a huge accomplishment but a miracle as well.

Getting Through Hard Times In Addiction

When we were in the middle of our disease most of us had given up hope for living, being sober, or even dreaming of a better life for ourselves. We could not be bothered with something like having hope when we were so wrapped up in the bondage of this disease.  When we get sober and seek help for our addiction, most of us are able to get through the hard times because of others sharing their experience, strength, and hope in regards to their recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.

Sharing Hope With Other Addicts

It is through this exchange that gives us the strength needed to carry on. There is nothing that compares to the moment when we get that first glimpse of hope or that initial feeling that we can do this. Sharing and giving hope to another individual is one of the many beautiful aspects of sobriety.  When we reach out to newcomers and share with them the trials and tribulations that we have gone through and overcome, we not only get to help others but we also get a lifetime of blessings as well.

Is Marijuana Really Harmful?

There are some people out there including people that are thinking about or trying to get sober that do not consider weed to be harmful, problematic or even something that could create a chemical dependency. Some of these people pose arguments such as: “it’s a plant”, “nothing bad happens when people smoke”, “you can’t get addicted or die from pot”, and/or “I have a problem with other substances but not with weed”. Then there are the “what ifs”: “what if I get sick and need it?”, “what if my insomnia never goes away?”, “what if I can’t get rid of my anxiety without it?” etc

Effects Of Drugs

Most of us in recovery find that any mind altering substances, regardless of where it comes from or how it affects us cognitively is most likely problematic, harmful, and potentially fatal for us. We suffer from a disease that not only affects us physically but also spiritually and mentally as well.

A drink or drug for us in any form is potentially devastating to us on many levels. While those questions may come up for all of us at time or another, there are many other ways to handle situations that come up without running the risk of jeopardizing our lives and sanity and without including marijuana.

Weed Is Not Worth It

While there have been benefits for us as people that deal with drug and alcohol addiction, the reality of what weed or any other substance does to us far out way the benefits. Regardless of what hand life deals to us we can get through anything sober as a result of not giving up and sticking to our 12 steps of recovery.

What Are Your Trust Issues In Sobriety?

When most of us were getting sober we weren’t the most trusting or trustworthy bunch. It can be hard to trust others or ourselves when we had fallen so far down the scale. When we get sober most of us are used to having to take care of ourselves which doesn’t leave much room for us to learn to trust others or let a higher power into our lives.

Why It’s Hard for A Recovering Alcoholic To Trust

Learning how to trust others can be hard especially for the alcoholic who has a preconceived idea that people are untrustworthy usually as a direct result of our actions while we were out using and struggling with our chemical dependency issues. This lack of ability to trust ourselves and others usually stems from years of dishonest behavior and motives on our part. It is hard to believe that others are to be trusted when not only is our behavior questionable but most of us feel unsafe with ourselves both physically and emotionally as well. 

How A Recovering Addict Can Start To Trust

The only way to restore our faith in ourselves and others is to begin to change the things that need to be changed within ourselves by letting go and attending a 12 step recovery program and cleaning our side of the street up. When we begin to live with integrity, and respect as well as develop our own code of morals then not only will it be easier to trust in others but it will also be easier to handle situations when we are disappointed and feel that we or our fellows are falling short of our ideals. When we go through the 12 steps of recovery we can begin to be free without placing indignant demands upon others.

Dealing With Depression And Laziness In Recovery

Sometimes in recovery when we put down the drink things start coming up for us that didn’t before. We get a new set of feelings that most of us have never dealt with. Over time we might become complacent and lazy with our 12-step work. What happens then is that we can become unmotivated and if we are not careful, we can slip into a depression or even go back to engaging in our chemical dependency.

Challenges In Recovery

This is not uncommon considering the one thing that would act as a lubricant has been taken away from us and all we are left with is ourselves and our thoughts. If we leave things until they get bad then life can begin to seem pretty unbearable. It can seem impossible to do even the littlest tasks. We may find that it even affects our relationships negatively. Most of us become short and irritable.

When We Grow In Recovery

It isn’t usually until we get in enough pain that we begin to change and grow. When the pain we are in is greater than our fear of changing and our laziness then we will do so. When this time comes then there are tools available to us when we are ready.  We do not need to suffer in silence. There are many people that have gone through this and come out the other side.

Stay committed to your 12 step recovery programs, this will help with mental health treatment. If we are willing to share what we are going through with another alcoholic/ addict then we can get the solution on how to handle it. It is through our experience, strength, and hope that we are able to pull ourselves and others out of the darkest places. The fact is that there is going to be highs and lows in life and while pain is inevitable sometimes suffering is optional.

Are You Giving 100% In Your Sobriety?

When we are newly sober, get into a 12 step recovery program, and go through the addiction recovery process, most of us are enthusiastic and excited about our life. We have a willingness to go to any lengths to stay sober and continue our newfound resolve. Most of us come out of our battle with chemical dependency declaring that we will never drink again no matter what! This is great however, the longer we stay sober it is common that while we maintain the same level of willingness most of us lose that level of desperation that we once had.

 

Questions To Ask Yourself In Sobriety

It is imperative that we check in with ourselves and ask if we are giving 100%, and if not, then how much are we putting into our sobriety? Are we skipping meetings when we know we need one? Are we not calling our sponsor and checking in?  How can we go back to giving 100%? What needs to change so that we have the best chance at staying sober? 

Are we being dishonest and keeping secrets? If so how can we change these things in order to improve our sobriety?

If we really desire to keep our sobriety and our willing to go to any lengths to do that then we must stay diligent and do whatever it takes to stay on the path. If we find that we are struggling, there are many ways we can get out of our funk -  from talking to people, to praying and meditating - asking for clarity on how to handle situations and of course seeking God’s will for us.

Being Responsible in Recovery

We have spent much of our lives running.  Now that we received alcohol addiction help, and started the addiction recovery process it is time we stopped running and started showing up. As we grow older the responsibilities also grow. As sober members of society we have a new set of morals. One, being that we honor the commitments we make to ourselves. Showing up and suiting up not only shows ourselves that we can be accountable but shows others that we are dependable.

 

Choosing Sobriety

We chose to get sober to live our lives free from the bondage of our alcohol addiction. If we are too busy avoiding our responsibilities what kind of life are we leading? As alcoholics we need tasks. We need to do things that make us feel accomplished. Showing up for those tasks might seem difficult but afterwards it feels great. Being responsible does not always have to do with the physical act of showing up but also taking responsibility in our interactions with others. With every situation comes positive and negative reactions.

 

Taking Responsibility

We must take responsibility and keep the side of our street clean. We must check our motives and our actions without taking other people’s inventory. When we mess up we must humble ourselves, see where we might have been wrong, and take responsibility for it. It is hard to humble ourselves when we are in the wrong because of our egos but when we take responsibility for our actions it is one of the most empowering things we can do for ourselves. Being responsible in all of our affairs will not only help us grow but it will also help us learn how to have respect for ourselves and those around us.