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.