HOPE: 1 of 10 guiding principals of in SAMHSA’s working definition of Recovery: “The belief that #Recovery is real provides the essential and motivating message of a better future. People CAN and DO overcome the internal and external challenges, barriers and obstacles that confront them. #HOPE is the catalyst of the #Recovery process.” #SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental…
Category: Addiction
No More Shame.
The “No More Shame” Campaign is designed to empower Recovery. (learn more here: http://www.pinterest.com/treatmentcenter/nomoreshame/) *People who have struggled with addiction and are now in Recovery are publicly proclaiming that they are not going to hide anymore.We are not ashamed of our past. *Families are saying that they are done hiding. They are going to speak out….
You Won’t Please Everyone.
My blog is public for a reason. I try my best to use my experiences to help other people in recovery. I make my ‘work’ email available to anyone who might need it. People contact me if they are interested in writing a guest piece for Discovering Beautiful. Many people send me emails with networking…
Triggers.
-As the saying goes: ‘you get out what you put in.’ *We walk through a painful past so that we can focus on our present. *By taking risks & forgiving people we shed the weight of some of the heavy baggage that we have been carrying. *We hold ourselves accountable to gain a sense of personal responsibility…
Why Did You Change?
For family members or friends of people who are addicted, we often wonder if they will ever change. We worry. We lose sleep. We wish we had answers or effective words or more powerful love. What it will take for them to finally be ready? How much more will they have to lose? How many…
Early Recovery Truths.
Early recovery is hard for so many reasons. I think we all have unique experiences, but a lot of the hurdles early on are very similar. One of the biggest problems many of us face is the fear of confronting our past. For me, facing the truth was important to my sobriety. It was really one of the first steps that I…
No More Shame.
How do we break stigma associated with drug addiction? Well, we get sober and act silly in front our webcam’s while we drink coffee. We LIVE. 🙂 We get healthy. In yo’ face stigma. 2006-2013 #NoMoreShame #Recovery
Your Recovery, and Mine.
I do my best to support all types of people. I interact with people all of the time from all different religions, who have various beliefs, opposing view- points and people with morals that don’t align with mine, and people who I sometimes struggle to identify with. I have talked with people who struggle with process addiction,…
Bravely Amateur.
consequences unable to teach Sobriety out of reach hands reaching for help,soul screaming for rest shunned,pushed away, not good enough at best angry, empty exhaustion setting in help me, I’m slipping, no ones watching, dying from my sin one kind hand, one open heart, the right time, the right place, a fresh new start recovery,…
When Our Past is Used as a Weapon.
Our past. This is a huge part of our story. For some of us, our past is not pretty. Maybe we have caused a lot of pain. Maybe we have experienced trauma, and hurt. Many of us have made a lot of mistakes and we have hurt…
I Made A Fear(Filled) Moral Inventory
Most of the time, a life that includes an addiction, also includes a lot of hurt. Hurting and destroying ourselves, and hurting other people, and buried, ancient hurt we carry. The guilt and shame that I covered up for so long got to be overwhelming. I cannot express…
I Am Free.
When I entered recovery I had never experienced true freedom. I yearned for it. I think I always had. I had always envisioned a life of just being. A life of feeling true contentment and having the ability to laugh and connect with other people and to enjoy my life. This piece of scripture from…
Prevention Education is Useless?
The other day during a conversation, a friend of mine made a comment that got my wheels spinning. The comment was in regard to her personal theory, relating to why our public education systems were not effective enough, or as they originally sought out to be–specifically when it came to Sex Education and Drug Prevention….
What do you stand for?
Think of something…anything that you are a firm believer in- that at some point or another you have had to take a stand for. This something is so important to you, and you want to be a voice for the cause. It is no secret that when It comes to underage drinking, binge drinking, recreational…
“Omg. Just Quit Already.”
Today, I read an article on “Myths vs. Realities ” relating to Addiction problems. Most of the Myths were the simple cookie-cutter misconceptions or skewed viewpoints. Society likes to hold on to the one’s that perpetuate stigma. Today I am going to talk about a common misconception that goes something like this: “If you really…
Fighting Within.
A person who is struggling with addiction is fighting an epic battle. The fighting is fierce and continuous. It is tiring. And it becomes more and more intense with each passing day. It is a fight between the person struggling with addiction, the substance, and a third. The quietest one of all. The whisper of truth….
Spiritual Death.
Becoming dependent on a substance takes time. No matter what your substance of choice is, I bet we can all agree that the ultimate result of addiction is death- but before that, there is this place where we live. It is the last stop before physical death: Spiritual death. This is a place where nothing…
Knowledge is Power.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future/trends-in-prevalence-various-drug The more that I study different substances, signs, symptoms, side effects, withdrawal discomforts and brain altering effects-I become more and more interested in prevention. The bigger picture. Not only do I empathize with people who suffer from and struggle with the powerful stronghold of addiction, I am very concerned with the growing numbers and…
Passionate Work.
Not everyone gets to this place, or has the opportunity. Often, the people who I meet who have, have stumbled upon this gift as a result of going through some really tough things through some self-revelation. But they come out the other side, and they just know. It is an incredible thing and it is…
The Beauty of Letting Go.
Don’t we all have those feelings… The ones that we just want to hold onto- even when it hurts us or is holding us back from something new? The ones that have the ability to completely conquer us if we allow them to? All of those things that we really can’t change or control. Wouldn’t…