September is National Recovery Month.
My blogs will focus throughout September on addiction and its life-destroying tendencies. The writings derive from my experiences of battling addiction and living a life of recovery.
These specific writings are focused on the ACT acronym.
ACT leads to sobriety…
A – Acknowledge you have a problem, are powerless over it, and need help.
C – Connect with a power greater than you and people with solutions to help you conquer your problem.
T – Take positive, recovery-oriented action every day.
This is a continuation of yesterday’s post.
When battling addiction, there is no better resource to connect with than an addict who’s been through the twisted journey of a substance use disorder, survived, and is living a productive life in recovery.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my brother decided to try and find someone in recovery who could help me. And he did just that. He found a young man who had been sober for five years and was happy to meet with me.
When we met, I felt a peace I hadn’t felt in a long time. Of course, I had chemicals in my system, but I felt peace from another source. We had a connection, and the connection derived from our struggles with addiction.
He shared his story with me and asked me to share mine. While relating my story to him, he showed very little emotion and nodded his head, indicating he knew exactly where I was and had felt the same pain and anguish I was feeling.
The fact that he was nodding his head sober gave me a glimmer of hope, and sometimes that’s all you need.
He helped me put a game plan together for my recovery, gave me the “Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous, and suggested some critical pages for me to read.
I recall going home that evening and getting so excited while reading the Big Book that I popped a couple of pills, cracked open a few Bud Lights, and read into the late hours of the night. That is how I handled all my highs and lows at that point in my life.
My talk with this young man and the “Big Book” readings made a small dent in my state of hopelessness.
More to follow tomorrow.
When you are confronted with a challenge or a problem, do you seek help?
If so, do you seek help from someone who is not just knowledgeable but experienced in handling the type of challenge you are facing?
The best way to get through something is by connecting with someone who’s traveled through the same something.
Proverbs 15:31, “Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise.”
P.E.A.C.E.
