My recovery has taught me a lot about myself, and who I want to be. As I've said, what works for me does not work for everyone else. Some people find that AA and meetings are what help them. Others devote themselves to God. For me, I have found a medium that I can handle. When I try to remain 100% abstinent from everything I don't last long. Instead, I work a harm reduction strategy. I highly recommend going completely abstinent when you first begin sobriety, especially if you are not used to living a drug free life. When I first tried to get sober, I gave up everything for 3 months, and attended daily meetings, even 2x a day. I learned a lot about my addictions, and met some really great people. I totally surrendered to the program, got a sponsor and started to work the steps. The steps are where I gained a lot of insight. It brought me closer to my higher power, and helped my define what I believed in, and what my values were. Even though I do not attend meeting regularly anymore, they are crucial to my recovery. I still have days where I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, and on those days I may attend a meeting. But my recovery is much more complex than going to a meeting everyday. It is something that is so engrained in my daily routine that it is a habit now. Reading and educating myself is another major factor in my recovery. I went to college (and in one week I will receive my bachelor's degree!) but also read books on addiction. I learned a lot about how the brain changes chemically when it becomes dependent on drugs, and how it takes work to break those habits. With educating myself, I developed a daily routine. I get up around 7am and am in bed around 10pm, everyday. I exercise and meditate in the mornings, and am in class all day or working. I really focus on being healthy now. I heard a gentleman say that if we put 10% of what you went through to get high, into staying sober, you'll succeed. That has stuck with me, and when I need motivation I will say it in my head.
So, Harm reduction. What is it? It's essentially replacing certain addictions, with less harmful ones, hence the name harm reduction. For instance, my current doctor, among others, are studying how the use of marijuana in addicts can reduce the use of whatever the drug of choice they may have. Opiates and cocaine are drugs that I have read that this strategy works. And it is something that I do as well. I did not smoke much during my high school until I was a senior. It reduced my drug use at the time dramatically. Given I would still let lose every few weeks. Years later, I now use it as a way to ease my knee pain, and reduce my stress and anxiety. Many people at AA will disagree with that because they believe in 100% abstinence. And that's cool, but your organization is there to help addicts and alcoholics to become sober, to live a life of unity, service and recovery. I find that to many times people tell you what you should do, and if you don't do it by the book (that's where the name big book thumpers comes from) then you are not working the program right. I took what I needed from the program, from the books I read, and I developed my own recovery plan. I have a support system, and people to talk too when I am feeling vulnerable, I have strengthened my spirituality and feel more connected with the world, and to give back I help in the community. Also, I hope that these posts may help someone with their struggles. I am a bit unorganized with my writing here. I do not think too much about what to write beforehand just that I want to post every week about something and recovery. If you are interested in reading about a scientific approach to addiction, I highly recommend the book, Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction by Maia Szalavitz. It is truly a revolutionary approach to addiction. Thanks for reading. A link for the book: http://maiasz.com/
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AuthorI am a grateful recovering alcoholic and substance abuser. I graduated from CSU with a BA in business, and am now a law student pursuing a career in the legal field. I hope you enjoy my site! Feel free to introduce yourself and share a story with me that I will publish! Archives
July 2020
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