Suzy W and I discuss the importance of addiction as a family disease. The programs of Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous have so much in common. Beyond the addict-codependent connection, it has been our experience that each need to become well. Without each person working on their own recovery, balance will not be achieved.
Experience, Strength and Hope
In this podcast Robert P. shares his story of recovery and the path he has chosen along the way. For those who suffer from addiction, there is hope for life-long recovery One Day at a Time.
If recovery were hard very few of us would achieve it. I am so grateful the plan of recovery is designed to be simple. I am not assaying it is easy, I am saying it is simple. The simplicity of recovery makes it accessible to and by everyone. I am not a good artist, but if you arrange the dots in the proper sequence I can draw a horse, a person or anything else you place the dots to portray. That is exactly what was done when the 12 Step Plan of Recovery was laid out. It is my experience that those who do not connect the dots and recovery are those who don’t want to connect the dots. I hope the recovery is for you and you decide to connect the dots as they are laid out.
One of the most challenging things for any person of recovery is holidays and the triggers that often accompany them. In the beginning, holidays can be the most challenging obstacle to our personal recovery. This is true whether you are the addict or the Co-dependent. Keep in mind that most addicts, are also adult children of Alcoholics, therefore co-dependent as well. Keeping this in mind, there are things that we can look out for that can help us stay insulated against relapse, while enjoying ourselves in this festive and holiday season. Here are a few of the things that we need to lookout for as we approach this time of year.
One of the things that I have learned in my recovery journey is balancing expectations. I’ve come to learn that expectations can be positive and negative. Expectations can also be fair or unfair. Oftentimes, expectations will get in the way of our external relationships. Expectations that aren’t met can be different to understand and often judged. Therefore, it is better off to balance the expectation with fairness toward others and the uncontrollable. Expectations are best served with understanding.
In this episode, Robert shares his experience, strength, and hope in an AA Speaker Meeting. Robert talks about his 35 years of personal recovery and what he believes others need to follow to attain live long sobriety.
As I grew in my personal recovery so did my desire to become “normal.” When we consider the word normal and set it side by side with the word sober, they seem to go hand in hand.
Accountability simply means that I am subject to the obligation to report, explain or justify something. It means I am answerable. Once again for things that are outside of me that are part of what I do not who I am this is rather easy to do because it’s not personal. So many of us are answerable or we have an obligation to fulfill a particular commitment or process regarding our work.
I was willing to do anything to have what they had and to become what I saw them becoming. Surrender to win was the path I decided. I hope you decide on this path as well.
We are NEVER alone anymore. This is what recovery offers us. So, when you choose what recovery path choose wisely. Choose a plan that gives you back to power to choose to wear your shell on your back. A path that has a provision to stay recovered for the rest of your life. A path that doesn’t require me to look backward at my past (except when helping someone). When we do this, we can live the absolute that our recovery is a journey for our lifetime. Here are 3 things I must do to ensure this is true for me.
Stay grounded in the truth that set me free
Be open to adding new elements to my plan
Pray for and assist others along the way
Doing these things will add to the absolute position I decided to take. Thanks for listening and be blessed.
When we first arrive in recovery we are questioning many things. We are questioning if we’re making the right decision. We are questioning will this work for me. We are questioning if follow through with the path we decided to try.
In order to give freely we must first take down the walls of personal secrecy and begin to share who we are and not judge what we learn about others. As a word of caution, let me say with some things we may need to be careful to whom and what we disclose, but for the most part we should feel free to “share our experience, strength and hope with each other”.