Relationships. Let’s say you are a couple. You love each other and value one another. One of you ends up with an addiction and becomes dependent on a substance. It tears them apart and dismantles who they once were. That person that you fell in love with is gone. All you are left with is…
Tag: addiction
Staying Sober Over the Holidays.
I know that this time of year is so difficult for a lot of people who are living sober lives. This is a time where emotions are running high and if you are from a dysfunctional or unhealthy family, it can really be a stress filled time. Family gatherings aren’t technically social events, but they are…
History of Addiction
I watched this series of videos and I was entertained. I know not everyone will appreciate or enjoy listening to long stretches of the historical aspect of addiction and recovery but I know a lot of you will be just as intrigued as I was watching this series! Here is the link to the first…
Each Day Is New.
For years I started each day with overwhelming sense of disappointment that I woke up…again. I never looked forward to the chase, but I’m not sure that anyone really does. My overall attitude had developed into knowing that today would be just like yesterday: ‘Same shit, different day’ and it was just the way I…
Fall 17 times, Stand up 18.
One of the first books of the Bible that I ever read (or understood) was in the book of Romans. Romans 7:18 was the first thing that I memorized. (Naturally, I had to get it tattooed on my body.) Verse 18 goes like this: I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my…
The Smaller Reminders.
Looking back, early recovery was basically a big block time filled with excruciating discomfort. Of course any life change is uncomfortable and so is coming off of drugs, but what had really terrified me was coming to the realization that I never really did know who I was. I hadn’t ever found myself. It was…
Coming Out of Hiding.
Hidden secrets will destroy you from the inside out. Hiding behind substances will only deepen the roots of pain and the original problems. Hiding from God- is unrealistic. Hiding from reality is really exhausting. The whole time that I was hiding, I really thought that I was protecting myself or blending in. Maybe that was…
About Me.
Most personal blogs, specifically Recovery blogs, have a detailed ‘my story’ or ‘about me’ section. Often, they choose to start from birth, work their way up to their addiction forming, proceed to telling the story about how rock bottom felt, and work their way to the present. I really don’t see any problems with it and…
Recovery Is Real.
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…
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…
Change Takes Time.
Listened to another story of another hurting family last night. They are all playing the game. They are hurting, waiting, helping, hoping, and crashing with disappointment. This is the cycle that our we go through when we love someone who is struggling with addiction. It is the most brutal waiting game you will ever experience. As…
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…
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
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…
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….
Addiction Recovery- Things that have helped me -2
Addiction Recovery- Things that have helped me -1
Out of the countless tools and newly acquired skills that I have learned in the past seven years, one of the most important concepts that I had to accept is what I am going to talk about today. It sounds very simple, here it is: It is not my job to fix your problems.
A glimpse of —her.
This is a picture of my mother and I. This short visit happened on April 13, 2013. It has taken a lot of learning to trust in God’s word and personal growth on my part to be able to say that I am truly grateful for her, and genuinely happy that she has thought about…
Drug-Alcohol Prevention is Important.
Here are a few links: http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/talk_about_drugs.html http://www.drugfree.org/prevent http://www.dare.com/parents/Parents_Tips/Story2d13.asp http://www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/twk_drugs http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting_challenges/talking-with-your-kids-about-drugs-and-alcohol.aspx
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…
Discovering Beautiful- is continual.
Meeting Jesus.
Admitting that I needed help.
Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor. (Matthew 5:3) We have the choice to change our lives and we don’t have to do it alone.