“Progress, not perfection” is a common phrase used in the rooms of recovery fellowships. The concept is derived from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. After presenting the 12 steps, the Big Book states: “Do not be discouraged. No one among us had been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We…
DetailsMany men and women suffering from the disease of addiction have attempted to stop countless times. They go through unimaginable pain while attempting to detoxify their bodies, only to pick up another drink or drug shortly after. This is because there are certain aspects of the disease of addiction that make it nearly impossible to…
DetailsIn a state of active addiction, we lost touch with who we were at the core of our being. We began identifying ourselves with the drugs we were using and put up walls to block our true nature off from the rest of the world. When we get sober, however, we begin to realize that…
DetailsAddiction is a disease that strongly affects our thinking and brain chemistry. We will always search for an excuse not to seek help because we have such a strong compulsion to continue using drugs that we will trick ourselves into thinking that our life is manageable. Generally, if we find ourselves asking the question of…
DetailsAlcoholism is a threefold disease of the mind, body, and spirit. There are three main factors within the disease: the spiritual malady, a physical allergy, and a mental obsession. These three factors are the reason why it is impossible for someone suffering from the disease of alcoholism to simply stop using as a result of…
DetailsMany of us fondly remember the comfortable feeling of being in a bar or being around friends and family who are drinking or using drugs. We want to hold onto that part of our lives and feel that we will be able to simply not use drugs or drink when we are in an environment…
DetailsRecovery always has moments of difficulty. We go through so much to achieve sobriety and begin engaging in an entirely new way of life, exercising our newfound spirituality and coping skills. However, there may be moments when we feel overwhelmed or depressed and wonder, “What’s the point?” We fall into a cycle of apathy and…
DetailsMany of us have been through tremendous amounts of pain and suffering during our time in active addiction or alcoholism. We came to a point when we realized that we were unable to gain control over our drug or alcohol use. This point in our lives, when we were finally ready to surrender, is often…
DetailsIn sobriety, we are tasked with confronting ourselves at the deepest level of our being. We look back on the past harms we have caused others, and often begin looking forward at all the things we are finally able to do in our newfound freedom from addiction and alcoholism. However, our thoughts about the past…
DetailsOur time in addiction changed the way that we think. Our brains became so accustomed to drugs and alcohol that we began developing uncontrollable cravings. Often, we found out the hard way that, no matter how many times we swore we would not drink or use again, we managed to convince ourselves to pick up…
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