And anyone, anyone hoping to break out of the downside of a habituation or addiction curve is best served to start his or her journey by reaching for the hope—as in rope—when you are dangling over an edge and need something for your spirit to hold onto so you might survive the arduous journey.
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My son went through some incredibly difficult times, but he seems to have found his way to the other side. I believe that music has played a huge part in his recovery. In fact, when he was in rehab and sober living in California a few years ago (we live in Michigan), I bought him a guitar online and had it shipped to him, because I knew that music would be a healing force for my son as he tried to make major changes in his life.
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Those triggers can be real, painful, and tempting, but the good part is, that they usually don’t last long. This too shall pass. Hang in there if it hits you and get help for the time it lasts. If I want to get over these triggers for longer periods of time, I have to build new pleasure pathways. For example meditation can calm me down or exercise can give me a good feeling of joy. It works, if we work for it, just as six-pack abs isn’t reached by just watching a fitness video. Those changes are slow, recovery is a process, not an event.
Continue Reading I never did find a magic wand. But I did find a magic “pen” that has allowed me to share my stories with others, and that exercise has become such a positive part of my life. If you like to write, even a little bit, I urge you to do so. Don’t worry about whether or not you’re good enough, or about making mistakes, or about what other people might think. (Remember, I didn’t write for anyone but myself for almost two years.) Just pick up a pen or sit down at a computer…and write. It’s great therapy.
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Why do we operate on a 24-hour basis? The answer that I’ve come up with to this broad question is to find sanity. Generally speaking, I look to a lot of different affirmations to get my head moving in the right direction. Some of those include keeping my thoughts in today, reminding myself how fortunate I am to wake up sober another day and that I am very blessed to be in a position to help other people. I find if I don’t regularly practice this my thoughts get a lot harder to manage during the day.
Continue Reading Being in recovery can open new doors to ideas and job opportunities. Don’t stay where you are. I’m not a tree, I can move today. I can move towards my goals. If you feel like it, go back to school, do special training for certain certificates and send applications to your dream position, even if you still lack some experience. If you have a goal or dream, you can be anything you like. There is often some work and sweat involved to get there, but with the right dedication anything is possible.
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