Hi Bob,
Thanks for sharing your success story. I've finally gotten the hint that I need to go to a meeting (NA or AA) but I'm not in the US until June so this board will have to be my substitute until then. I'm at the almost three months phase of quitting percs and pot and feeling motivated enough to be disgusted with the lost years and feel temptation. But not motivated enough to find a local meeting. It's Monday where I am and Blue Mondays were always the perfect excuse to get fried. Any advice you could give me about how to make it through to six months would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Soccermom1,
Sorry, I didn't see this post till just now. 3 months is awsome, congratulations.
Fir me, everything was a reason to get fried. A bad day, a good day, you name it
and it was a good enough excuse for me. I wouldn't worry about making the 6 month mark, just concentrate on today. There is no certain time frame that garentees us a life of being clean and or sober. Everyone that has any time, be it
one day, one month or 30 years did it one day at a time. The only suggestion I
could give you is to do what I did and still do. And thats get involved in your recovery and do what ever it takes to stay clean and sober. For me, it's following direction and taking suggestions from those have have been where I'm at. I don't really like reading, but I do make myself read each day from my Big Book, and my Step Book. Even if it's just a paragraph or two. I have a few other books I enjoy reading as well, my 24 Hours A Day book, Living Sober and my Came To Believe books. Lately I've started reading a little bit each night from my Bible too.
And for my own enjoyment I started reading Sing Me Back Home, Merle Haggard's autobiagraphy. lol I go to a few meetings a week, I pray, and I try to enjoy each day as best I can. Also, I know how easy it is to get down when I find myself dwelling on the past. I can't change it and I've been able to come to terms with the things I've done and let it go. That took some work, but I found it to be very freeing once I faced it and took responsibility for my actions. I did my 4th step, I didn't have this great load lifted or spiritual awakening after I did my 5th step, but I did have a sence of relief and was able to move forward without any regrets. I'd say don't rush it, there is no time limit on anything, you'll know when your ready to move forward, but I will say you get where you want to be only by putting into it, it's all just a decission you have to make of how hard your willing to go after what you want. Some people do a step a month, some do a step a year, some just work on the first step the first year. For me, I find as soon as I start to feel like something is missing it's time to talk to my sponsor about moving forward. Sometimes my sponsor will bring it to my attention, and start hinting around asking me where I think I am and giving me a little push if he sees me getting to comfratable at where I'm at. I'd say not to anylize things too much and just try to stay in today. It's your recovery, so it's your decission what it is you want out of it. The more you put into it, the more you'll recieve. The truest thing I've read is, "It's a simple program for complicated people". It's out there if you want it, I decided to chase recovery like I did the high.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, live for today. I hope this helped ya'.
Again, great job on your three months, don't worry about making six months, just
concentrate on making it today.
Take care...........God bless.............Bob
Sorry, I didn't see this post till just now. 3 months is awsome, congratulations.
Fir me, everything was a reason to get fried. A bad day, a good day, you name it
and it was a good enough excuse for me. I wouldn't worry about making the 6 month mark, just concentrate on today. There is no certain time frame that garentees us a life of being clean and or sober. Everyone that has any time, be it
one day, one month or 30 years did it one day at a time. The only suggestion I
could give you is to do what I did and still do. And thats get involved in your recovery and do what ever it takes to stay clean and sober. For me, it's following direction and taking suggestions from those have have been where I'm at. I don't really like reading, but I do make myself read each day from my Big Book, and my Step Book. Even if it's just a paragraph or two. I have a few other books I enjoy reading as well, my 24 Hours A Day book, Living Sober and my Came To Believe books. Lately I've started reading a little bit each night from my Bible too.
And for my own enjoyment I started reading Sing Me Back Home, Merle Haggard's autobiagraphy. lol I go to a few meetings a week, I pray, and I try to enjoy each day as best I can. Also, I know how easy it is to get down when I find myself dwelling on the past. I can't change it and I've been able to come to terms with the things I've done and let it go. That took some work, but I found it to be very freeing once I faced it and took responsibility for my actions. I did my 4th step, I didn't have this great load lifted or spiritual awakening after I did my 5th step, but I did have a sence of relief and was able to move forward without any regrets. I'd say don't rush it, there is no time limit on anything, you'll know when your ready to move forward, but I will say you get where you want to be only by putting into it, it's all just a decission you have to make of how hard your willing to go after what you want. Some people do a step a month, some do a step a year, some just work on the first step the first year. For me, I find as soon as I start to feel like something is missing it's time to talk to my sponsor about moving forward. Sometimes my sponsor will bring it to my attention, and start hinting around asking me where I think I am and giving me a little push if he sees me getting to comfratable at where I'm at. I'd say not to anylize things too much and just try to stay in today. It's your recovery, so it's your decission what it is you want out of it. The more you put into it, the more you'll recieve. The truest thing I've read is, "It's a simple program for complicated people". It's out there if you want it, I decided to chase recovery like I did the high.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, live for today. I hope this helped ya'.
Again, great job on your three months, don't worry about making six months, just
concentrate on making it today.
Take care...........God bless.............Bob
Hey Soccermom, there's alot of NA stuff online too. I go to it pretty much daily. I could look up the sites and post links for you if you'd like. Love, Kat
I would also be interested in the NA sites and links online
reallysc
reallysc
I'll look it up for you sc. Give me a few minutes. Love, Kat
Okay here's some...
Serentity Found-Your online 12 step recovery resource
AA Big Book
Narcotics anonymous
Big Book online
Sobriety calculator.......(this one is just kind of fun)
Cyber Recovery.net
Well there's a few to get you started, lol. I'll look up some more tommorrow. I'm not sure if all the stuff I have is still there so I'll have to check it out.
Love, Kat
Serentity Found-Your online 12 step recovery resource
AA Big Book
Narcotics anonymous
Big Book online
Sobriety calculator.......(this one is just kind of fun)
Cyber Recovery.net
Well there's a few to get you started, lol. I'll look up some more tommorrow. I'm not sure if all the stuff I have is still there so I'll have to check it out.
Love, Kat
Hi Bob and Kat,
Thanks for all your help. I'll look at those links you sent. I'm at this weird place where nothing feels real -- I know I took the drugs in the first place to get to this "world of my own" but now don't seem to know how to break out of it. Probably this is the result of several years of not developing any other coping strategies. So I'm stuck in my house. I'm not using but I'm not really living, either. I live on this site and in my bathtub with a good book, completely agoraphobic. However, I know I'm not the only one who can't seem to make it out the front door and this must be another phase. I can deal with it if I know it won't last forever.
You're good folks. Thanks again answering my distress call.
Thanks for all your help. I'll look at those links you sent. I'm at this weird place where nothing feels real -- I know I took the drugs in the first place to get to this "world of my own" but now don't seem to know how to break out of it. Probably this is the result of several years of not developing any other coping strategies. So I'm stuck in my house. I'm not using but I'm not really living, either. I live on this site and in my bathtub with a good book, completely agoraphobic. However, I know I'm not the only one who can't seem to make it out the front door and this must be another phase. I can deal with it if I know it won't last forever.
You're good folks. Thanks again answering my distress call.
