This is an exciting time–your loved one is coming home from treatment! But how should you prepare to help them? How will help them in this new recovery stage? What should you say to support them? What do you do if they falter? And what about all the practical questions–like job, hobbies, and events on the social calendar?
Defeating an addiction can be one of the proudest moments of an individual’s life, and rightfully so. All of the work and dedication that goes into overcoming the compulsion to use drugs or alcohol can be extremely difficult, so when that success is achieved, it can feel as though the struggle is over and that … Read More
Here we are, already 8 days into the new year. Maybe you’ve kept your resolutions, or maybe you’ve already broken a few. Maybe you’ve already experienced tragedy, or perhaps you had a joy-filled start to 2016. Reality is, we don’t have a lot of control over what happens in our lives over this next year. … Read More
These 12 simple and timeless tips can help you stay sober over the holidays. (from the December 1978 Hummer, adapted from Box 459) Line up extra A.A. activities for the holiday season. Be host to A.A. friends, especially newcomers. Keep your A.A. telephone list handy. Find out about special holiday parties. Skip any drinking occasions you are nervous … Read More
“So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear ones The old and the young A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let’s hope it’s a good one Without … Read More
Do we truly need to get and stay sober? Do we really need to accept that we can never have another drink or another drug? Obviously, my answer is a resounding, “Yes!” I chose 18 years ago to travel down the road of sobriety. I have attended thousands of meetings over that time period and … Read More
You just finished up your treatment program. Your body is 100% drug/alcohol-free, and you feel ready to return home to start a new life of sobriety. You’re a little nervous, but excited, and ready to restore relationships, return to work, and sit around the dinner table with your family again. What you may not realize, … Read More
As our time of thanks nears, I am recalling the many Thanksgiving meals I have attended. Generally, the group that I’m with will pause before indulging, and share the things they are grateful for. Health, having a job, and being with loved ones’ seem to prevail as standard statements. Everyone that I am close to … Read More
In my second year of sobriety, I took my first sober vacation. Cape Cod, Massachusetts Low on sufficient funds, a friend and I traveled locally to Cape Code, Massachusetts. We rented a campsite next to a small lake. There were showers and a pavilion in case of inclement weather, and that was about it! The … Read More
When my life reached rock bottom, there was nowhere to go but up. Alcohol and prescription drug abuse had left me in a desolate, unhealthy place. Divorced and without custody of my son, I felt that only death could be worse. This was me, a true alcoholic and drug addict. I can see in my … Read More
[Dedicated to C. Greaves, counselor, who could confidentially say, “I tell people what they already know, but have hidden from themselves.”] As a young adolescent, I found myself to be the class joke. Overweight, awkward, tall and acne-ridden, I was prime material for that role. I suppose one could speculate that my classmates chose me … Read More
