You Matter

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• Empower yourself. Be an active participant in recovery, don’t blindly follow what you are told. Just because you struggled with a substance doesn’t make you an idiot. Drugs and alcohol dis-empower, you need to learn to empower yourself again. “Do what I did and you will get what I got”... is NOT true. Find a way that works for you. What is one thing outside of drugs or alcohol that is unique about you that could help you maintain sobriety?

• You are more than your addiction. Alcohol or drugs are just one part of the equation. Learning to live again is the hard part. Sobriety doesn’t mean shit if you haven’t learned to live outside of addiction and recovery. Don’t let anybody, including yourself, define you by what substance you use. addiction is just one slice of your life. Can you specifically name two things that you are currently doing differently in your life other than not drinking or using drugs?

• Your story matters, tell it. Hitting bottom only matters if the consequences from it are valued. Negative consequences may wake you up but won’t motivate you for long. It’s not how far you fall but how deep you learn. There is a reason you managed who you were (your story) with a substance. Figure out why. Dig deep and know denial may mean the story is still too hard to tell. How have alcohol or drugs helped you cope with your story?

• Heal the hurt. Addiction is a symptom of something deeper that is unresolved inside of you. It is a choice to manage these emotions with alcohol or drugs. What kind of pain or hurt do you have to own up to that alcohol or drugs have helped you manage and cover up?

• Trust and be true to yourself. You have to believe your life will be improved when you quit drinking or drugging or no lasting change will occur. Just because you don’t want to quit drinking or using drugs on my terms doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t quit. Just because they know your symptoms doesn’t mean they know you. What are two things that will improve in your life when you stop using drugs or alcohol?

• You can absolutely change. Some have gotten sober by not focusing on it. Don’t let what you have done define who you can be. Mistakes are lessons not life sentences. Never believe a prediction that does not empower you. Relapse is not a part of recovery and “once an addict always an addict” is just not true. People change every day and never look back. What are two qualities about you (or two things you are doing) that are not defined by drugs or alcohol?

• Cut yourself some slack. It will hurt to heal. If you’re not making mistakes you’re not doing it right. There is no “ready”, start where you stand. Addiction is selfish thinking and so recovery must be selfless. What is one positive thing you can do for someone else today?

• Act don’t talk. Complete honesty is about knowing what to reveal, not revealing all. Words are not as important as actual change. If you could not talk would people see change in how you live your life?

• Focus on what you love. You don’t beat alcohol or drug addiction by fearing it. You have to love something else more. Much of life’s troubles come from trying to control the fire that burns inside... What is your “why“?


Read more: twelch.com 2bits ebook

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