Facing Issues Head-On

It’s easy for us to run away from things. It’s easy to push people away especially the ones who don’t enable us. When things don’t go the way we want, we disappear emotionally and physically. When things get difficult we leave. In the heart of our addiction we don’t know how to face anything. Most of the time we can’t even face ourselves.
After we finally decide to get sober we look back on all of the running we did. At first we may feel guilt and shame but it is actually something we can be grateful for. We can now look back and know that now that we are in recovery and have chosen to be responsible for ourselves, we have a great example of how not to act. It is a great example of who we aren’t anymore and who we never want to be again. It shows us how we have grown. We are not the person we used to be when we were using.
We have learned that just because it is easier to run away, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. Now that we are sober and working the steps we can face things that we would have never faced in our active addiction. To be able to face things with strength and integrity is truly a gift to forever be grateful for.
In case you didn’t know:
The use of illegal drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows the overall rate of current illegal drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population aged 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.

How do we become selfless??

In the midst of our addiction we walked around with blinders on. We saw nothing else but what we wanted to see, ourselves. Our life seemed so much more important than anything else. What mattered the most to us was the drink or the drug. If anyone got in the way of that we either pushed them away or completely removed ourselves from them. Our happiness, our comfort and our “problems” always came first.
Even after getting sober we can still be selfish especially if we are not working a program. The only way to remove the selfishness that has been such a large part of our life is to go to meetings, work the steps and help others. Once we begin our journey of recovery and do all the things that make us selfless rather than selfish, we learn a very valuable lesson: the world and everyone in it is not contingent upon us; the world does not revolve around us.


Clearbrook's Quick Fact:

In 2009, there were 2.6 million people aged 12 or older who used non medical prescription drugs including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives for the first time within the past year which averages out to around 7,000 new users per day.

How do we change? People, Places, and Thins

When we finally make the decision to get help for our alcohol/drug addiction we may be too overwhelmed to see it in the beginning but our life really changes. This change is definitely for the better but it’s hard for us to see because we have never experienced anything like this. When we walk into rehab or the rooms for the first time, we are a bit blinded by our fear, expectations and apprehension.
Even though all these feelings and emotions are emerging in us when we first get sober, we must address one of the most important things as a newcomer; people, places and things.
If we’ve been to rehab we’ve heard this notion before. What it means is, our lives need to change in order to stay sober and emotionally healthy.
When we were using, most of our surroundings were not ones where we could stay sane and well. Sometimes we’ve felt like it would be too hard to change our people, places and things. That is our fear talking; fear of change itself, fear of loneliness, fear of failure (can we make it without all of these people, places and things?), even fear of finding out who we really are. We felt like we would be all alone if we changed. We felt like we would have nothing if we changed. It’s actually the opposite. The truth is the people who truly love you and the people you’ve met in A.A./N.A. are the ones who will support you and be there for you no matter what may come.
In case you didn’t know:
In 2009, the number of people ages 12 or older who needed treatment for an alcohol use problem was 19.3 million. That is 7.7 percent of the population 12 or older.