Dec 17, 2015 | By Tim Stoddart
If I Don’t Practice a Program, Am I Still in Recovery?
Personal Addiction Recovery Stories
I’m a fairly confident woman. I’m pretty enough. I’m well educated. I have the tangible things that others long for, a husband, children, a little bit of money. I’m a Christian woman. I try to do the right things in life. I credit Jesus Christ with my recovery, if I can call it that. The one area of uncertainty in my life is my recovery. I’m not in recovery; not in the traditional sense at least.
About two years ago I was absolutely drowning in Vodka. A handle a day isn’t really something the human body agrees with. My liver was enlarged and failing. My marriage was crumbling. My children were very young and becoming emotionally hardened with each passing minute. My looks had long ago left me. My spirit was crushed. I was an empty vessel. But let’s throw it back to 2002 first.
They say alcohol addiction is a progressive disease; no truer words were ever spoken. My drinking started off “normal” enough; I attempted to limit my binge drinking to only on the weekends. Funny thing about alcoholics, the term “weekend” tends to include Thursdays and always Sunday. Needless to say, the containment didn’t really stick. Before I knew it I was a regular at every bar in town and frequently blacking out. I was a party girl; I could drink almost anyone under the table. That was a badge I wore with delight. I enjoyed the scene with no hesitation. Late nights, loud music, cigarette smoke, and drinks. Always drinks. I was in my early 20’s, the time in a woman’s life when she begins to really individualize. I wore little clothes, I did big things and I drank… a lot. I was not in school; I was a cocktail waitress as a trendy destination restaurant. I blew through my cash as fast as I could make it. I was a spirited, unapologetic, loudmouth, gorgeous, alcoholic. Unbeknownst to myself, I had set in motion my alcohol addiction. It was fast and it was furious.
Late nights, loud music, cigarette smoke, and drinks. Always drinks. I was in my early 20’s, the time in a woman’s life when she begins to really individualize. I wore little clothes, I did big things and I drank… a lot. I was not in school; I was a cocktail waitress at a trendy destination restaurant. I blew through my cash as fast as I could make it. I was a spirited, unapologetic, loudmouth, gorgeous, alcoholic. Unbeknownst to myself, I had set in motion my alcohol addiction. It was fast and it was furious.
As the story goes, I drank my way through some years. I achieved some things. Eleven years ago I got married to a kickass man. But, generally speaking when one spouse drinks the other is often right behind. My husband is not an alcoholic but he definitely took a few for the team. Great memories were made. The kind of memories you look back on and you can literally feel a warm feeling in your heart for just a second. It’s almost like a flashback to when you’re a little kid, laying in the sun.
The sky was so blue, the clouds an electric white and the warmth of the sun spread through your whole being. We were falling in love, and falling apart simultaneously. Passionate love was made. Grand fights were had. In the midst of the madness, three perfect children were born.
Two years ago there was an incident. Isn’t there always an incident?
When you are in your addiction there is this resounding feeling of inadequacy and immense guilt that even the sunniest days cannot lift off your soul. It’s like there is a lump in your throat and you can’t quite catch your breath. One stiff drink seems to wash the lump down and all the sudden the airway is clear and you can breathe again. Well this day, April 15, 2014 I had fucked up bad. Immense guilt would be an understatement for this day. I hurt someone.
I woke up the next day. My head was throbbing; the beat of my broken heart was pulsing through my temples. I was clad in my vomit stained tie-dyed shirt I had worn the day before. There was dried blood under my fingernails and black mascara smeared down my ugly face. I looked like a monster. I felt even worse. I was hunched over the bathroom sink, unable to fully stand. My head was swirling with dizziness and bleak remembrances of yesterday. Nauseous, dirty, and alone I stood, a pillar of shame. In one horrible glimpse, I recalled what had happened. It was not a nightmare. It was real. I had hurt her.
I went to rehab that day. Rehab is a strange, carpeted, jungle. Only the strong survive, but that’s the catch. Everyone is broken. I don’t have a keen memory of that night or the following days. I had not eaten that day. Extreme hangovers coupled with resounding disappointment tends to curb your appetite. I was angry, ecstatic, scared, devastated and my heart was still broken. They walked me down the long hallway to my room. I started smoking that day.
Raw, real, and uncut are just a few words to describe rehab. It’s a bizarre thing for me though. I look back on my 29-day stint with fond memories and a sense of peace. So many tears and so much deep, real laughter. Addiction steals your joy. The only joy you may have is chemical induced and fake/altered joy. I laid on my plastic covered, twin bed laughing so hard tears were pouring down my face. In THAT moment, in THAT place, on THAT day, God changed my path.
Chanel was her name, my roommate. Looking back, she wasn’t even all that funny; but that night we laughed and celebrated life from deep within our broken souls. It was nice. She was discharged the next day.
I made the choice in rehab not to have visitors. I was only 30 minutes from my home, but I felt I needed the space to breathe and focus. I never wanted to see my kids, partly because I knew that seeing them would make it harder to stay, partly because I had heard there were dirty needles hidden in the sand of the volleyball court. I stayed out of the sand. Rehab is no place for children anyway.
The fourth day I was there I helped save an eighteen-year-old girl’s life. She was dying of a heroin overdose. I had never seen heroin in my 33 years on this Earth. I also steered clear of the bush where folks were rumored to have sex. By my second week there I was voted the Mayor. The Mayor of Crazy Town.
After 29 days in the joint, I was sprung. My counselor insisted I was ready to fly! I was, once again terrified. What if the life I had in my now foggy, yet sober head was not the life I had in actuality? What if my husband was awful and I drank until I blacked out for four years because he was the monster? What if my kids were not in fact respectable, cool little humans? I wept the day I went home.
It’s a weird, dreamlike state returning from rehab. I was grateful for all the help that allowed my family to function without me there. Yet, there was a hint of jealousy and distaste. In my case, my best friend stepped in. That’s annoying. She was picking my kids up after school, doing homework, making them dinner. She had dressed them on Easter Sunday and braided their hair. Again, grateful yet not really. Someone doing my job and doing it better than my disease allowed me to do it. One day, shortly after I got home she said to me, “since you don’t drink anymore do you want to start smoking pot.” We are no longer friends. Not only because of that incident but her inability to realize the importance of what I had just been through haunted me.
What I had just been through. I remember standing on the basketball courts in the yard of the treatment center. I had my earbuds in. It was a beautiful sunny day; April in Texas. I was kicking a rock around, obviously I couldn’t play volleyball, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. This is really happening. Holy shit. All I could ask myself was how did I get here. The physical dependency of alcohol addiction brought me to my knees. I remember feeling such a great loss in that moment. That was the time in my recovery that I was on Step 7.
When I first got home I went to meetings. I have three chips that I hold dear to my heart. I carry them around in my wallet as a constant reminder that I am not above this thing. I went to my one-year reunion at the treatment center. It was amazing. Unforgettable. I got on stage and told my story. Recovery is such a venerable yet empowering aspect to one’s identity. That day a wonderfully, broken, single mom asked me to be her sponsor. I declined. I have never had a sponsor, clearly I could not be hers. I like to personify alcoholism as a hungry lion, lying in wait. Just when you think it may be asleep; it will rip your head off. I chose not to drink. I make that choice every day. Some days are harder than others but each day the decision becomes less of a decision and more of a lifestyle.
I have never had a sponsor, clearly I could not be hers. I like to personify alcoholism as a hungry lion, lying in wait. Just when you think it may be asleep; it will rip your head off. I chose not to drink. I make that choice every day. Some days are harder than others but each day the decision becomes less of a decision and more of a lifestyle.
Recovery is a system. It is a well-oiled machine and in order to be successful you must fully engage in certain aspects of traditional recovery; at least that’s what I was told. You must be working the steps; you are to find a sponsor; the sponsor is your lifeline. You must attend as many meetings as you possibly can, come hell or high water. They have online meetings, if you must. 90 meetings in 90 days they instructed. You must read the literature. The literature is in fact particularly useful, I do appreciate The Big Book. I was told during my hot seat that my “liability” was my disdain for AA meetings. I was told, my lack of enthusiasm towards the meetings would unavoidably cause my relapse.
I often feel transparent and uneasy when asked about drinking. I am not ashamed nor am I embarrassed about my “recovery.” I’m just left unsure about what it is I am doing. Today, I am sober for 604 days (I have a counter on my phone, it is not something I keep up with.) I am absolutely proud and humbled by each passing day. I appreciate the process of AA and respect the hell out of it. It is proven to work. But what if you don’t go? And you don’t “work the steps?” What if you don’t do any of the strategies early recovery enforces? Are you still in recovery? I’m always left wondering, since I don’t practice any sort of “recovery” am I still in recovery?
I feel transparent because the alcoholic within me always feels insecure. The shame of the lies and the vodka streaming through my veins are never an afterthought. The rippling heat and the pulsating temples of the alcohol never cease to exist. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am no longer hiding anything. I must remind myself that my wounds are healing. I must remind myself to look them in the eyes. I have earned it.
I don’t subscribe to AA. Although, I credit step number 7. Number 7, without a doubt, saved my life. “Humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings.” I asked him to remove my obsession, as just for today he did.
LaMinda
Ian
8 years ago
Excellent read. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Wishing you all the strength and love to continue your recovery.
Onward and upward x
Lisa
8 years ago
Thanks for the article. I, too, am practicing my own recovery. It is working for me, but if I find I need more, I will definitely reach out.
Joey Eads
8 years ago
Thanks so much for your story. Half way through I had to step back and say wow, by the end of the story I was beside myself. I had just read a story that I could have wrote (almost). I have also wonder about not continue AA. I haven’t been in over a year but I’m still doing great, like you said, it’s become my lifestyle and I’m proud of who I’ve become. I wish I could go to places who needs me and tell my story. I want to say again, thank you. I also want to say I’m very proud of you and you are loved
Your friend Joey
Sober since 7/26/13
Michael
8 years ago
I recently celebrated 10 years C&S and have not belonged to AA or NA in years (I have belonged to both). I am very grateful both programs were there for me. I wouldn’t have made it through that very very bad time of initial recovery without them. Today I am grateful and I’m able to volunteer in my community. That’s my program. The twelve steps is not about addiction or alcoholism; it’s about preparing you for service. When your life is about serving others, be it your children, husband, friends, community or country and not about you, you have a program and you will recover
bii saunby
8 years ago
If you found way to stay sober that’s what counts,
‘always remember where you were and were you are now.
JW
8 years ago
Absolutely. Kristen Johnston’s MD told her “If pushing a pea up a hill with your nose keeps you sober, then do that.”
Traci Munden
8 years ago
In theory and in practice I would say “no, you’re not in recovery. I hear what you’re saying. Our stories are similar. However, I feel as though recovery is practicing the “program”. It would’ve been next to impossible to complete the steps in a 29 day stint. It took me a full year to make it through. But, I enjoyed meeting with my sponsor weekly. She taught me how to love myself. She taught me the difference between guilt and shame. She taught me the steps. She taught me how to see myself and gain insight into why I felt the way I did. She taught me to have a servant’s heart. The program is so much more than meetings. There are steps, principles, and concepts that taught me how to live again. There’s a reason relapse rates are so high. And, “yes, meeting makers-make it.” It’s not too late to find someone to teach you those things too. Being sober is not the same as “being in recovery”. I’m so glad you’ve made it this far. I would encourage you to continue to grow.
tomkat
8 years ago
I’ve been in your “world’ of recovery. I have done two stints of 90 and 90 and did not work for me.. Your plan works for you kudos. My plan that has had success was seeking ‘refuge in recovery’ and following my own path. Clean and sober 5 years. Letting go and healing the flaws that sent me down that path to begin with by looking within. AA…good for you…not good for everyone. Cheers to her and if she is continuing to maintain her growth and healing then yes…she is in recovery regardless of the AA label or lack thereof. Our DOC and drink of choice was different for sure, but yet we were both alcoholics, so why isn’t recovery up to the individual?
Carolina
8 years ago
Wow! What a story. I have 5 years. Alcohol brought me to my knees. I am a recovering addict, but I too don’t practice all the recovery “laws” . I go to meetings for my husband but I feel like I shouldn’t share because I don’t follow their way of doing things.
Congratulations on your 604 days!! Keep on keeping on!!
Scott McMunn
8 years ago
I have been sober for 28 years and there were people in AA that got sober the same time I did,there are several that are still sober to this day and don’t go to meetings and they are living very successful lives. You have a connection to your god. You have worked step one two and three how did you work step 4 if you say you work step 7? How did you identify your defects.
denide
8 years ago
i believe you can heal with out the rooms of AA but I do believe the process of the 12 steps are the key sponsorship is just someone who has been where you are and a friend to be there with you when i was healed by God he took me through the process of the steps with out me calling them the steps. i knew they were the steps once i went into the rooms and i wrote them out. I believe God uses us to help others and through that the desire tobuse fades. because the desire to help another find hope over rides that thought. try it you may be of use to God and learn a lot about Gods will
Danielle roe
8 years ago
This was beautiful laminda. As a former alanon member, i am moved by your story. It makes me believe their is hope for sobriaty without the program.
Jay
8 years ago
My story is somewhat similar,while in a rehab I was listening to AA and decided to accept Jesus as my higher power,well they weren’t to crazy about that but the fact is you can choose any higher power that you want,end of story
Janie Ann
8 years ago
Keep up the great work, there are many different ways up the mountain….and you have found the path of recovery. Be well and happy…..Hugs ????
Mike
8 years ago
Thank you for this…this speaks to my soul. My “program” is very similar to yours…I’m at 2,551 days…one day at a time.
God Bless.
Nicole W
8 years ago
I think you hit the nail on the head regarding whether or not you’re in recovery when you said you still feel guilt and shame, that thinking of drinking makes you feel some type of way. The steps are the way out of those feelings. It doesn’t erase them but helps you to not wallow and have a solution for living. I love and appreciate AA because I am surrounded with people like me, that drank like me and are now seeking recovery like me. “RARELY HAVE we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” Alcoholics Anonymous
Paul M.
8 years ago
Few people realize, particularly a lot of newcomers, that ALL (not some, not most, but all) of the practices and principles of AA come directly from Christianity. This was no coincidence or divine intervention but the role that The Oxford Group played in the creation of what would become known as Alcoholics Anonymous, so in my opinion, if you are a practicing Christian and are an abstaining alcoholic, you are in fact in a “program of recovery”.
http://silkworth.net/aahistory/oxford_group_connection1.html
Mary
8 years ago
Thank you for an excellent, honest recount of your recovery. You helped me.
Thank you
Cate
8 years ago
I haven’t had a drink or other mood changing, mind altering chemical since December 10,1983. I don’t need any “program” of recovery. I don’t have to go to meetings. I don’t have to do steps. I don’t have to use a sponsor. I don’t have to read the literature. I don’t have to do service work. I GET to do all these things!!! These tools are the gifts of recovery. Not drinking is the gift of sobriety, but I want so much more than that! Actively participating in a structured recovery program….which was born of a program for living – has helped me experience a life filled with unbridled joy. Not just a glimpse or two, but 32 years filled with realized dreams; goals achieved, and the ability to embrace a real and present peace that passes all understanding. It took me years to get beyond my limited scope of satisfaction- being sober, but still looks not for ways to ensure my will would be done. By practic Not the stated principles of the twelve steps, I’m finally at the place where I strive only to be the woman God wants me to be.
I might be able to stay sober on my own, but I can’t imagine why I would want to! Blessings to you all at this most holy time of the year.
mark
8 years ago
I have been clean for 2 years 3 months and AA did help me a whole bunch. How ever it is all about my inner self and finding out what was the real cause of my addiction. By the grace of God thru AA and help from true friends and Family Yoga Working out and staying fit has worked for me and is still working today. Today I can truly say I love myself and learning everyday to love others. Thanks
Sean
8 years ago
I really think it depends on the person. I spent two months in a rehab in Florida, then continued my recovery with meetings and living in an Oxford house for about a year. I went back to the grind full time without meetings and have been sober ever since(4 years). For me, it’s all about being self aware and fulfilling a productive routine on a daily basis.
Deena
8 years ago
Thank you for sharing! With the exception of just a few details, this could be my story. Wish we could visit sometime. Keep up the good work.
Christopher
8 years ago
There is no one correct way to recover from an addiction. For some people alcohol wasn’t the only problem that they had. Some of them needed people to help them find their way. If you look back at the history of AA is was for the true hardcore alcoholics. They say being sober and being in recovery are two separate paths but for me there is no argument nor there should be. I did AA for years and was a chronic relapser now that I don’t practice the steps or believe the disease model and lean on more then the moral model. Then I believe I have a choice to drink or not. No disease to blame here. Glad your sober. I have over three years without the aid of a formal treatment or recovery program. I had spontaneous remission. Meaning a life changing event to cause me to immediately get sober without any compulsive obsessive thoughts.
Ken O
8 years ago
Laminda, I enjoyed what you’ve shared, and you raise some great questions worthy of contemplation and discussion. My experience is from the program and traditions of AA, so to answer your title question, it really depends on how you define “recovery”, which also includes how you define “alcoholic”. AA teaches us that Alcoholism is a 3-fold disease: a physical allergy (body), a mental obsession (mind) and an internal spiritual malady (spirit), and we learn that the solution is based in a process to “enlarge our spiritual lives”. To boil it down to a simple idea, we must admit “We can’t, He can, so let Him”, where we admit we are powerless over alcohol, that something other/greater than us can restore us, and where we make a decision to turn our will and lives over to Him. “Trust God, Clean House and Help Others” sums up the 3 parts of the program.
So, can all this be done outside of AA, without the 12-step program and without the direction of a sponsor, with a spiritual practice centered around Jesus Christ as you understand him? Most definitely, but it has to be done, and it has to be practiced on an ongoing basis, and it has be be practiced in a way that addresses all three aspects of our disease. The BB states “What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition”, a condition that is maintained by a daily spiritual practice. So we’re never cured, but our disease is put into remission by means of our spiritual practice.
With all that said, I think you start down a slippery slope is when you state “I chose not to drink. I make that choice every day. Some days are harder than others but each day the decision becomes less of a decision and more of a lifestyle.” If you believe you have the power of choice, then I would contend that you’re not alcoholic – you might be a hard, problem drinker, and you might have shared several similarities with Alcoholics, but given sufficient reasons to stop, you’re able to do so on your own, or with some temporary assistance. But that is very different than the definition of an Alcoholic. In fact, our experiences in AA tell us that included in the nature and definition of alcoholism is a complete lack of power, a complete lack of choice or control over our drinking. So again, to answer your title question, based on what we learn from AA’s Big Book, no, your not in recovery, because you haven’t admitted you’re powerless over alcohol.
This lack of power is also the basis for the AA fellowship – I can’t do this on my own, and neither can the person next to me, but together we can. By sharing our struggle and being transparent with each other, we help each other move into right thinking and right action, the solutions to the mind and spirit aspects of our disease. But if you believe you have the power of choice, then I can see why you believe you don’t need the fellowship.
You also ask ” But what if you don’t go? And you don’t “work the steps?” What if you don’t do any of the strategies early recovery enforces? Are you still in recovery?” I would contend that unless you have a rigorous spiritual practice of some kind that addresses all 3 aspects of being alcoholic, then no, you are not practicing recovery, all you have is abstinence, and for real alcoholics, abstinence on its own is never a sufficient, long-term defense again our progressive, cunning, baffling, powerful and ultimately fatal disease.
You also stated ” I’m always left wondering, since I don’t practice any sort of “recovery” am I still in recovery?” So I would challenge you to answer your own question, put your beliefs about AA to the test, abandon what you think you know, be open-minded and wiling to follow the direction you were given for 1 year, to go to meetings daily, to get a sponsor and work all 12 steps, and then decide if what you think you know about Alcoholism and recovery remains the same. I’ve spent 28 years watching miracles happen almost daily, don’t abandon a program you respect before the miracle happens to you. You’ll discover a life beyond anything you thought possible.
I’ll leave you with the last two paragraphs of the BB appendix titled “Spiritual Experience”:
“We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honest and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensible.”
“There is a priciple which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a [person] in everlasting ignorance – that principle is contempt prior to investigation”.
Jerry Donovan
8 years ago
your recovery resembles mine. I choose to use Jesus and some friends to keep me clean and sober. I have been around AA for 30 odd years and have just 2+ years clean and 12+ years sober. AA is a great place for some I would never knock it. But what I am doing now is working very well. I appreciate your honesty and you sharing your story.
TMRecovery
8 years ago
Kudos on your sobriety!!! Keep working the system of sobriety that works for you. At the end of the day, staying sober and living your life matters far more than the particulars of how you do it for you! Thanks for sharing!
David
8 years ago
Of course you are in ‘recovery’.The only question is; what do you do to ensure it continues every day? For some it is AA or any other 12 Step process; for others it is church, meditation or whatever. I have been working in the field for 25+years (and in recovery for 29) and have seen every variety of approach possible. Always keep an eye on yourself and be open to change as needed. Each journey is unique, you will find a way if you remain honest and open. Go well and stay close to options!
Susan Beauford
6 years ago
You are in Recocery! There are many paths that lead to us staying clean and sober.
It’s not a one fits all. Whatever works, works.
Joh Rob
6 years ago
I’m in agreement with Susan’s comment. It’s not a one size fits all. When I was in rehab, I knew of the hard choices I had to make. I tossed all of those “friends” overboard and continued with life with all its ups and downs. 16+ years clean & sober and very thankful.
Karen Earlene Lara
5 years ago
Sounds like you are in recovery working a program that works for you!
Herpy Derpderp
5 years ago
You’re sober. Have been for hundreds of days in a row. Hell, yeah, you’re in recovery. Don’t let anybody tell you AA or some other kind of structured program is the only way. Such things work for a lot of people, but not everybody.
Carolyn Woodson
5 years ago
This program is a fraud no one recovers without any follow-up just going cold Turkey what problems or issues that lead to addiction aren’t addressed relapse is next this program of just abstinence is danderous and irresponsible and could cost a life there are treatment center that address the reasons that lead to addiction not dismiss them it takes meetings a NA/AA program 12 steps period
Jessica Diane Craig
5 years ago
“If you do not do this thing, that hasn’t been proven to work, you will fail” is a really shitty thing to say to addicts.
Denise Tatom
5 years ago
Yes you are in recovery and be very proud . I too am a grateful recovering addict , I dont go to meetings , I dont work steps but what I do is hold my head up high and own my sobriety on April 21 I will have 11 yrs and that was done with will power , thats my program when I’m done w something I’m done with it. Be proud of who you are and the chic you have become!
Mike
5 years ago
LaMinda, if you are happy and life is working for you then call it recovery, sobriety whatever you want to call it! Only you can decide what to label how you live life. Sounds to me that you may be questioning your sobriety. You learned and got sober because of AA/NA and now Maybe your feeling guilt about not going to meetings? I don’t have an answer to if you are in Recovery because I do not know what your definition of Recovery is. If recovery to you is what you described, then yes, you are in recovery. I am 22 years sober and attended AA meetings regularly for over 10 years and followed the steps with my sponsor at the time. At that time, I needed the support of my friends in the rooms, because I knew I was vulnerable to relapse. I met my wife at about 3 years sober(she was 8 years sober) and we went to plenty of meetings together and shared sobriety and many other common interests. However, after 2 kids and parental/work/life commitments, I chose to pretty much stop going to meetings. My recovery was in great order and my wife and I still live sobriety on a daily basis. For me, what I have embraced the last 10 years is staying close to my friends who are sober. I have changed people, places and things. I was told at one point that I got sober to have a life beyond my wildest dreams, not live my life in AA meetings. I go to meetings on occasions and I still celebrate my AA anniversary every year at my wife’s home group. I live my recovery every day. I attract the kind of people that are good for me and it is amazing to me how I can find recovering/sober people in every new job or place. Recovery for me is living life to its fullest without the chain of addiction weighing me down. When I question anything about the way I am living or if I am doing it right, that is my cue to get closer to my sober friends. Everyday is a choice. Choose recovery every morning and you have a great shot at staying sober for that day!!! Recovery works if you work it!!! One day at a time and enjoy your life in recovery!!!!!
Jessica Creel
5 years ago
“To Thy Own Self Be True” is what it states on those chips that you’re holding on to…sounds to me like that’s exactly what you are doing. At the end of the day, all that matters is if you have conscious contact with God…He’s the one that’s pulling you through. That’s the whole point on the 12 step program. Congratulations on your continued RECOVERY <3
Jessica Diane Craig
5 years ago
AA is not a proven system, as its participants are ANONYMOUS
Jimmi C
5 years ago
recovery is a state of mind and body, not a system. congratulations you are recovering.
Mark Doucette
4 years ago
I love Step 7. I also know that no amount of Faith works without work it’s self. Faith without work is dead. I asked God for a pony. I never ever got my pony. I prayed for one for years…Then I got my answer….if I wanted a pony God would give me one. One catch, I had to get off my ass and work for one…Congratulations on your recovery.
Recent Articles
Warning Signs of a Drug Relapse: Spot Them Early
How to Quit Cocaine: Overcoming Addiction & Withdrawal Symptoms
Non 12 Step Fellowships for Flexible Recovery
What are 12-Step Programs? Explore Their Principles and Impact?
What is Relapse? Understanding Recovery’s Twists and Turns?
Question About Treatment
Get Confidential help 24/7
(866) 207-7436Who Answers
Contact Sober Nation's Sponsored Hotline
If you are seeking drug and alcohol related addiction rehab for yourself or a loved one, the SoberNation.com hotline is a confidential and convenient solution.
Calls to any general hotline (non-facility) will be answered by Treatment Addiction Solutions
Alternatives to finding addiction treatment or learning about substance:
If you wish to contact a specific rehab facility then find a specific rehab facility using our treatment locator page or visit SAMHSA.gov.
To learn more about how Sober Nation operates, please contact us