Kicking Your Addiction – The 5 Golden Rules

Rule # 1- Forget Will Power, Your will is what got you where you are!

Our addictions are such a powerful and relentless force that no one person can conquer it on their own. As soon as we accept this fact, and believe me it is a proven fact, then we have given our selves a realistic chance of finding recovery and overcoming the bondage of self will. If we try to kid ourselves into thinking that we can kick our addiction with our own will power then we will remain sick in our disease and continue to make the same mistakes over and over again, never remaining clean for any substantial amount of time. It is essential to realize that it is “our own will” that led us to our addiction and our own will that kept us suffering. Left up to us we will continually search for different ways to use “successfully”, but this is nothing more than an illusion. This is the voice of our disease speaking to our weakness, telling us we don’t have a problem or we need our drugs just to function or “stay level”. Our disease wants to keep us sick; it is far to powerful for us to try to fight it alone. It takes us from our family’s, our friends, and in many cases it is so powerful it even takes us from our children. Who in their right mind would give up the ones they love so very much over drugs, alcohol or any addiction? The answer is simple: nobody in his or her right mind would. When we are sick in our addictions however, we are far from being in our right mind; in fact our mind is no longer controlled by us, but by our addictions. The drugs are calling all the shots; they rule our day, our thoughts, and our every decision. We are not in control of our lives and we are caught up in an endless circle of sickness and despair. Surrender your will and miracles will begin to happen, I can promise you that first hand.

Rule # 2- You don’t have to do this alone. There are people who want to help you!

Our disease wants us to think we are alone, but we are not alone at all in reality, there are millions of addicts just like us and we need each other to beat this horrible existence. Millions of addicts have found recovery and they live wonderfully happy lives today. Don’t dare believe the old cliché, “once an addict, always an addict”. The lie is dead, and I for one am a living example. My life today is full of blessings and true happiness. There is so much help available to us from other addicts who have found recovery and new lives for them selves, and they dedicate their lives to helping addicts who still suffer. That’s one of the major ways that we stay clean, by giving to others what was given so freely to us. There are 12 step meetings everywhere you look, all hours of the day, every day of the week. At these meetings you will find others who once felt hopeless, but now are free. There is a loving code of acceptance to all who seek their help and desire freedom from their addiction. People who understand us and love us unconditionally, without judgment. Who better to help an addict than another addict who has been in his shoes and found the beautiful light at the end of the tunnel known as Recovery? No matter how bad you think your problem is or how low your addiction has taken you, there will always be addicts who were worse off then you, felt more hopeless than you, yet found serenity and sobriety just like you are about to.

Rule # 3- We must chase our recovery as strongly as we chased our next high!

When we needed our drugs we did whatever it took to get them. Now it is time to do whatever it takes to free ourselves from the bondage of our addictions. We must take that same intensity and perseverance and turn the tables on our addiction. Just as nothing stood in the way of our pursuit of our next high, nothing can stand in the way of our recovery and ultimate happiness. We need to change everything. We can no longer associate with the same people who were part of our old addicted lives. If we want to be healthy then we must not spend time with those who choose to stay sick. We can no longer visit the places that were part of our old addicted lives. We must leave them behind if we are to move ahead, no exceptions. And finally, we must change the things that we use to do when we were still sick in our addiction. We have no business being in clubs, bars, or any place that triggered our addiction. Everything changes for the better, but we better change everything from our sick addicted days first. Holding on to reservations is a sure recipe for relapse and even more suffering then before. If we want our lives back bad enough then we are going to have to fight for it. That’s what this is all about, fighting for our lives, our freedom, our loved ones, and our happiness. This is one battle that is worth every bit of the fight! It’s time to live, rather than just exist. I fought this battle and I was victorious, you will find the same wonderful results if you’re truly sick and tired of living your life in chains.

Rule # 4- Work The 12 Steps! – The Secret to Staying Clean

It’s a wonderful feeling when we are clean for awhile and we begin to reap the rewards and blessings from our victory over our addiction, but the journey is just beginning and we must take certain steps to keep our new freedom that we have fought so very hard for. We must understand that even though we have given up the drugs we will always be in recovery. Don’t take this as a bad thing because it is actually an opportunity for us to learn how to truly live our lives to the fullest. It is a continuing education that helps us to grow and leads us down a path to serenity and inner peace. The 12 steps are a guide designed by those who came before us and outlined the steps they took to not online find freedom from active addiction but to ensure that we never have to go back to our old lives. Getting clean was one thing, but staying clean is our ultimate goal. We never have to go back to our old lives of self-destruction and despair again. By working these steps, attending 12 step meetings, and helping other addicts who are still suffering, we give ourselves the tools we need to fix any problem in our lives without the use of drugs. This is not an option, for this is the one proven path that will lead us to a lifetime of freedom and an abundance of rewards.

Rule # 5- Always Keep Your Gratitude! A grateful addict will never use!

Always remember where you were, all the horrible places your addiction took you. Remain humble and put your ego aside. Your gratitude will keep you clean! Your ego will send you back to the pit you once dwelled in. Never believe that you have your addiction licked, this is a disastrous invitation for relapse. Always remember what your life was like during your active addiction. Keep it very green no matter how long you have been clean. Never lose sight of your gratitude. By helping others in need we stay clean ourselves. We are reminded of where we once were and we remain grateful for our deliverance from our suffering and hopelessness. A grateful addict will never use! Life is yours for the taking, so take your new life and find your true happiness.

For Links and info to NA or other 12 step Sites or to read more about real life miracles, please visit Jay's Family sites at Jays Plan - Secrets of a Single Dad and Family Health With Mister Mom

Jay Bartels is the author of many human interest stories. Jay's own story of hope and inspiration can be found on his highly resourceful family sites. Jay is a single father raising two young girls and shares his experiences in several journals that can be found on his web sites. If you would like to contact Jay, he will be happy to accept your email to him at BOCABOYJAY@aol.com

www.MisterMoms.net

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Back From The Living Dead - A Tale of Real Life Miracles

It was August of 2002 and it was the hottest day of the year, just as yesterday was and tomorrow would surely be. From where I was sitting there was no relief in sight. I woke up to a glaring sunrise from my new home on the beach. When I say on the beach, I mean on the beach, in the sand with my worn out sneakers serving as my pillow. I didn't want to admit that I was homeless. To do so would make me like the real bums that everyone looked down on, and certainly that didn't qualify me. I was in a state of transition; I was in a state of denial. I stood up and brushed the sand from my body and headed for the street, but before doing so took one last look at my sleeping area to make sure I didn't leave any evidence that I had slept there, for this was my place and the bums sleeping in the park need not know about it. I felt very sick that morning and this turned out to be the last day I spent as a homeless person. Today something very special was about to happen, nothing short of a miracle. I sat on a bench trying to remember just how I got here, trying to make sense of how I wound up with nothing, including my dignity. I began to cry, my face in my hands, trying to protect what little pride I had left. I thought of my little girls and how I let them down, and at that very moment I found two powerful reasons why I needed to fight for my life, the love I have for my girls and the hope they had for me. Yes, today a wonderful Miracle was about to happen and I found enough faith to fight for my life, to fight for my children.
My family and friends had been trying to help me for years, but I didn't need their help because I didn't have a problem. There wasn't a problem with bottles of assorted pills I had in my dresser drawer, nor was there a problem with me being up for days from continuously snorting coke. And surely there wasn't a problem with me not having worked in over a year. And don't you dare tell me I'm not a good father, because my 3 year old little girl and my infant daughter were being poorly cared for because both their mommy and their daddy used heroin and would nod out, or because each day started the same; the search for more drugs so as not to be sick from withdrawals. If I wanted to quit I could do it with pure will power. The lies our addiction truly has us believing. The ironic thing about being an addict is you’re always the last to find out. Denial is a very powerful weapon that keeps us sick or eventually kills many addicts.
Things became progressively worse, my life spinning out of control, and seemingly irreversible. In August of 1999 I was arrested for writing a prescription and attempting to fill it. This was not the first time I had played doctor, only the first time that I was caught. My family posted bond and I was soon back home. I swore that this was the end and I as soon as I walked in the door I gathered up any blank prescriptions I may have had in the house and set them all on fire. I realized that it was just a matter of time before all the close calls at the pharmacies would eventually catch up with me. I was so grateful to be out of jail and given a second chance. I would have to be insane or just plain stupid to ever even think about writing another script.
Unfortunately, it turned out that I was both insane and stupid and definitely not in control of my senses. No, my addiction was calling the shots and it became more and more obvious that it wanted me stay sick, hopeless, and on a head on course that led me to Jails, Institutions, and just close enough to death that I would have to suffer, a mere shell of a man, hopeless and without faith. No, death would have been no consolation to the malicious force that kept me sick in my addiction. It wanted me to feel the pain, to run from it and to call on the drugs that would make the pain go away. But the pain never went away; it only grew more intense from the guilt and shame that kept me from loving myself enough to fight for my life. There were only brief moments of peace before the reality brought the suffering to the depths of my being, crushing any hopes of spirituality, convincing me that it was too late to turn my life around and it would take nothing short of a miracle to save me from myself. My disease spoke and I believed every thing it said. My disease in actuality was the scared little boy inside me, afraid to live life on life’s terms, afraid of life in general, thus surrendering any hope for a meaningful life, and resolved to accept the pain and hopelessness of having no more than a state of mere existence. This wasn’t a life, it was as if I had walked through the looking glass and could and would never find my way home. I was lost and wandering. I couldn’t remember what my life used to be like. I lost sight of all my dreams and aspirations. I lost all perception of whom I was and where I was going before I was swallowed up by the uncontrollable force of my addiction.
It was nearly 3 years to the day of my first arrest. Three years of suffering and despair. Why did I have to suffer for 3 more years in my life, when it was obviously out of control and even then I knew there was a serious problem? That is the nature of the Disease of addiction. It wants you sick, it wants you to suffer, and it lives to crush your hope and rob you of your faith. It wants you spiritually bankrupt, because without our spirit and our faith we are left defenseless. It took me 3 years to understand this, to realize it wasn’t just going to go away, I wasn’t going to be cured by osmosis, and that my life was not only going to stay miserable, but would instead take me to even lower bottoms than I had already hit. I finally got it! I had to find enough faith to give me the power I would need to totally surrender my will and my life to a power greater than myself. This was bigger than any man or any amount of will power. I would need nothing short of a miracle, and when I asked my higher power to take my will and my life and to give me the strength and courage to do his will for me, a miracle of biblical proportions was bestowed upon me. I cried, I screamed at the top of my lungs over and over again, “I surrender, please help me god! I surrender, please take this from me, and please give me the strength to fight this, lord and the courage to change everything in my life that was not of your will. Please help me, I surrender. I surrender! And that would be the last time I would give in to the disease. I wasn’t home free, but I was drug free and determined to do whatever it took to retake my life. I was fighting for my life and the disease kept fighting, telling me lies and challenging my faith and my courage. But with every lie my disease would try came an unbelievable amount of faith that I could win this fight and so I pressed on, enduring 3 weeks of detoxes, hospitals, and even days of hallucinations that found me waking up in a padded room, not knowing how I got there or how long I had been there. There were men that would come into these facilities and hold N.A meetings and I knew they were messengers sent to give me hope and I felt right at home in the meetings and realized for the first time that I wasn’t alone and didn’t have to fight to stay clean by myself. The drugs were out of my system, the sanity began to return to my life, and I found some clarity for the first time in many years.
My new life was taking shape and I humbly gave all the glory to my maker, because no humanly power could have saved a wretched, homeless, hopeless addict like my self. I wasn’t out of the woods, but I could see path that would lead me to freedom and I was committed to following that path knowing eventually it would lead me to the opportunity to fight for my children with the same vigor and commitment I used to fight for my very life. First things first however, I had to concentrate on my recovery and getting well before I would be able to take care of anything or anyone else. I was going to dedicate myself to being honest, open minded, and willing to put as much effort into my recovery as I did chasing my next high when I was out there using.
The first suggestion I was given, was to attend 90 N.A meetings in 90 days. This seemed easy enough after all I had been through and I made it a point to make at least one meeting a day. I moved into a halfway house to surround myself with other recovering addicts who understood me and I built up a strong support system of addicts who had greater amounts of recovery time than I did. These were the winners, the ones who walked the walk and didn’t just talk the talk. The adopted me into their hearts immediately and unconditionally. They didn’t shake my hand when we would see each other at meetings, but instead they would hug me and assure me that I wasn’t alone and I was a part of their family. We needed each other to stay clean, and we all knew that. We realized that each of us played a big part in keeping the others clean and perhaps keeping each other alive. These were my only friends right now, and these were the only friends I needed. If I was going to change, I was going to have to change everything, especially the people I associated with during my using days.
It took 30 days before I was well enough to work. I hadn’t worked in years and I was very concerned if I would be able to do any manual labor since I had beaten my body up so bad. I gave it to God and he gave me the courage to show up and the strength to do the job. The miracles just kept coming.
My first day at work was a very humbling experience. I was delivering furniture for a business I once managed before they let me go for good due to my addiction to muscle relaxers that was evident to everyone but me, and the slurring along with my ego left them no choice but to let me go at the time. I knew that one day I would have became a partner and when I did my life would change forever. This was my meal ticket to financial freedom, but my addiction took this opportunity right off the menu. So here I was, working with the same people who used to work for Me., but I was okay with that, in fact I was full of gratitude and felt like a responsible and productive member of society for the first time in many years. My faith grew stronger and I began to see the promises of a wonderful life to come. It was easy for me to humble myself, for it wasn’t very long ago that I was homeless and hopeless, and now I just soaked in all the wonderful blessings and to me each one was another miracle in my life. It just got better and better. After the first day at work, I was offered a permanent position on the sales floor and before long I was managing the store again after a 6 year absence, resurrected from the depths of my own personal hell. I was back! I needed to keep things in perspective. I knew if I was going to stay clean and continue on this new journey, I would have to keep doing the things that got me here, such as attending meetings and keeping in close contact with the support group of wonderful friends who were with me all the way on this fairy tale journey. I also knew that my disease would attack me through my growing ego, now that I held a position of authority. I had to work very hard keeping my ego in check, but the memories of where my addiction had taking me, along with the nightmare I endured while detoxifying the drugs from my system were more than enough to keep my gratitude by keeping things green. I knew that this was my last chance to start my life fresh again. I had used up 8 lives and this was my one and only opportunity to have dreams again that were reachable, and one in particular kept me strong and focused. The dream that seemed impossible was now within my reach. I was ready for my next battle. It was time to fight for my children!
Within 90 days I had a car and an apartment, miracles after miracles. Now it was time. It was time to get my girls and bring them home after almost 2 1/2 years. I was ready to fight for them and I was determined, even against all odds, that one day I would leave that courtroom with my precious girls by my side.
I began to get supervised visits, and then eventually I took them for the day on my own. We had been to family court many times and we were having a problem with the way the system was set up. The statute said after a year’s time I cannot get my children back, because the children were now being placed for adoption and they already had a family go through all the adoption procedures. The judge had a new admiration for me and every agency was on my side, we just had to find a way to get through the red tape.
Finally, it was judgment day. It was now or never. The state attorney told the judge that the children should be with their father, as did everyone else who testified that day. The Judge looked at me and smiled. He glanced around the courtroom until his eyes found mine again. He said "sir, in all my years on the bench I've never seen a parent go through as much as you did fighting your addiction, sleeping on the street and still show enough perseverance to be here today fighting for your children. I'm confident that your love for your children, somehow defied all odds. How would you like to have your girls back with you, where they belong?" Those were the sweetest words I have ever heard.
It's been almost three years now that I've been raising the girls as a single father, and the three of us cherish every moment. We haven't seen their mom in over two years, but we keep her in our prayers. I could have never done this on my own. I had to turn my will over to God and trust that he could manage my life better than I could. I feel so blessed to have my children back, to be able to provide for them, and to get a hug and a kiss each night before they go to bed, only 20 feet away, from the luckiest man in the world.
If you enjoyed this article, please visit Jay's Family sites at Jays Plan - Secrets of a Single Dad and Family Health With Mister Mom.

The Fight For My Children

The summer heat baked through my car windows as I turned off the AC to save fuel, in hopes of coasting into a gas station. I left the house early that morning knowing this could be the most life defining day of my life. There was so much at stake, and here I was sweating and regretting, that I didn't fuel up on the way to the courthouse. Some one was looking out for me that day, and I first realized it when I coasted into the gas station and my car stalled right at the pump. I was 5 minutes away and still had 30 minutes to spare.

The anxiety was beginning to swarm over me, stealing my breath, pounding my heart. I had waited over two years for this day, and I knew this was my last opportunity. My life and the lives of two little girls would be decided upon today. It was my last shot at getting custody of my daughters, otherwise they were going to be split up and put up for adoption. But how did we get here in the first place? How does anyone put themselves in a position like this?

It began about 4 years ago, and neither I nor my wife could ever imagine that anyone would ever think about taking our babies away. Our relationship had fallen apart along time ago, when she found a new love that she put before her husband, her children, and her own self respect. His name was heroin. Before I paint my wife as the sole culprit, I should say that I had my own addiction that I was battling. And that's what I was doing on the day the state took our children. I was in a 6 month intensive rehab, which seemed to be my only chance at recovery.

The drugs were making all of my wife's decisions and none of them were for the good of anyone. The state contacted me and told me they had taken the children from my wife. When I attempted to leave the rehab to get my girls back, they informed me that due to the situation with my children being exposed to an atmosphere of drugs, they were requesting that I finish my commitment at the rehab, which at that time I had 4 months left. I was sick to my stomach and have never felt so helpless in my life.

Four months later I left the rehab feeling healthier than I had felt in years. My mind was clear and I knew I had to avoid all the people, places, and things from my time before the rehab. On top of the list was my wife.

Eventually my wife dropped out of the picture and chose not to complete her case plan to get custody of the girls back. My case plan was going right on schedule and I stayed clean and focused at the task at hand. I began to struggle with extreme anxiety and depression, which I soon went on medication for. I was able to visit my girls once a week supervised, but I was a nervous wreck. With seven months clean I relapsed. Yes, I relapsed, I used drugs again. My daughters were the most precious thing in my life and they were counting on me, and I would choose drugs over them. What kind of person in his right mind would do such a thing? None. But when the disease of addiction takes control of our lives, it's safe to say "we are no longer people in our right mind". The guilt made it even harder to quit the drugs. It was an endless circle and I could see no way out. I struggled for one full year, putting together a week or two of clean time, and in a flash I was using again.

In no time at all I lost my job, and I found myself sleeping on the beach. I ran my car into the ground and I had to abandon it. I would go the narcotics anonymous meetings right down the street. I was always welcomed there. I was 6' tall and my weight was down to 144 lbs. I was dying and I was hopeless, until that one miraculous day, the day I surrendered my will to God and some friends took me to a detox. I felt so sick and so weak, but I had hit a horrible bottom and I could barely walk. I spent almost three weeks detoxing, the self inflicted poison seeping out my pores.

As soon as I left detox I went straight to an N.A meeting. I was welcomed with open hearts and loving hugs. I went to at least one meeting every day. I moved into a halfway house and 1 month later I had my old job back. Within 90 days I had a car and an apartment, miracles after miracles. Now it was time. It was time to get my girls and bring them home after almost 2 1/2 years. I was ready to fight for them and I was determined, even against the odds, that one day I would leave that courtroom with my precious girls by my side

I began to get supervised visits, then eventually I took them for the day on my own. We had been to family court many times and we were having a problem with the way the system was set up. The statute said after a year’s time I cannot get my children back, because the children were now being placed for adoption and they already had a family go through all the adoption procedures. The judge had a new admiration for me and every agency was on my side, we just had to find a way to get through the red tape.

Finally, it was judgment day. It was now or never. The state attorney told the judge that the children should be with their father, as did everyone else who testified that day. The Judge looked at me and smiled. He glanced around the courtroom until his eyes found mine again. He said "sir, in all my years on the bench I've never seen a parent go through as much as you did fighting your addiction, sleeping on the street, and still show enough perseverance to be here today fighting for your children. I'm confident that your love for your children, somehow defied all odds. How would you like to have your girls back with you, where they belong?" Those were the sweetest words I have ever heard.

It's been almost three years now that I've been raising the girls as a single father, and the three of us cherish every moment. We haven't seen their mom in over two years, but we keep her in our prayers. I could have never done this on my own. I had to turn my will over to God and trust that he could manage my life better than I could. I feel so blessed to have my children back, to be able to provide for them, and to get a hug and a kiss each night before they go to bed, only 20 feet away, from the luckiest man in the world.

If you would like to read Jay’s journals, which include “Mister Mom”, “The Family Guy”, and “Rock paper Scissors”, as well as many others, please visit his site at Jays Plan

Jay is a single work at home parent and offers his experience at Jays Plan - Secrets of a Single Dad web site to parenting isues and many other issues that he feels need to be written about. Also be sure to stop by Family Health With Mister Mom

The Light At The End Of The tunnel

They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. That is the struggle our friends and families are up against when we finally agree to go to a meeting. In the years that I've been in recovery, I have felt that feeling of hopelessness many times while trying to express these words to them ."If I could come out of the gutter and live as a responsible member of society, then there is no reason why you couldn't receive the same blessings as I have". When they finally decide to attend a meeting with me, all I can do is pray that they hear something that just clicks in their head, a voice inside them telling them " I can do this".

When I finally had enough pain and still didn't believe I could change, it was the other recovering addicts that refused to accept that, they gave me love, and by seeing the miracles in their lives, I found a bit of hope that maybe I too can have a life and be freed from bonds of my addiction and self- affliction.

They tried to show me " The light at the end of the tunnel", but always thought that light to be a train coming, and at times that seemed like an easy way out. But God had other plans for me, and he put many people in my life who brought a strong message of hope, and an abundance of faith.

I put my trust in these messengers and finally found my faith, I began to believe, if they could change their lives by surrendering their will, then it was apparent that I must do the same in order to receive the same blessings. I had hope, where there once was doubt, I had faith that God had bigger and better plans for me. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and my purpose here is to touch as many hearts as possible, and to give hope to those who are where I once was, and to give them faith that they can have a new lease on life once they surrender their will and turn it over to a higher power. Once you do this, I can safely walk you through the tunnel and lead you towards the beauty of the light.

Jay Bartels www.jaysplan.com bocaboyjay@aol.com

LIFE IS GOOD TODAY

Today was another successful day. Any time we make it through a day without using, that day is a great success. Anything else that happens positive for us , is just an extra bonus. When you spend so many years as I did not being able to get through a single day without drugs, just to stay clean is a miracle in itself. In recovery we receive one miracle after another, and it's our gratitude that keeps us clean.
What right do I have to complain about trivial things today, when not very long ago I was homeless and hopeless. Whatever my needs are today, my higher power provides for me, everything. We must have faith that our lives can change for the better, otherwise we're doomed to stay in the uncomfortable situations we are in. As our lives begin to change for the better, we must continue to turn our will over to God and have the same faith that he will provide for us, just as he pulled us from the ashes, yet we must continue to do the right things as well as do the foot work.It's important to remember that Faith without works is dead, but when you start believing that life is getting better all the time, then you will truly believe, That Life Is Good Today. To your health and your happiness.

For More On This and other important issues visit http://www.jaysplan.com

WHEN LIFE COMES KNOCKING

EVEN AFTER WE'VE BEEN CLEAN FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS GOING TO GO THE WAY WE WISH IT WOULD. WE STILL HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE LIFE ON LIFES TERMS. WE DON'T HAVE TO RUN FROM LIFE ANYMORE, BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE THE TOOLS AND FAITH NEEDED TO GET THROUGH THESE TIMES. BY NOW WE'VE DEVELOPED HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAM WHO ARE THERE TO SUPPORT US EMOTIONALLY AND HELP US TO MAKE THE RATIONAL DECISIONS WE ARE JUST LEARNING TO MAKE AGAIN, AFTER ALL THE TIME WE LIVED IN OUR INSANE WORLDS. WE MUST REMEMBER; OUR HIGHER POWER DIDN'T RESCUE US FROM OUR ADDICTIONS JUST SO WE CAN BE MISERABLE. HE MUST HAVE A SPECIAL REASON FOR SAVING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. SOMETIMES LIFE HITS US HARD, BUT THIS TOO SHALL PASS. THE LONGER YOU WORK THE PROGRAM, THE MORE GOOD DAYS YOU HAVE, AND SOON YOU WILL SEE HOW YOUR HAPPINESS WILL OUT NUMBER YOUR WORRIES BY A LAND SLIDE. KEEP THE FAITH!

YOU CAN'T SAVE EVERYONE

WHEN WE START FEELING BETTER, WE WANT TO START SAVING EVERYONE. IT'S NOT UP TO YOU TO SAVE THE WORLD. RIGHT NOW, IT'S ONLY UP TO YOU TO SAVE YOURSELF. WHEN WE GET FURTHER ALONG IN OUR RECOVERY WE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP OTHER ADDICTS, BUT FOR NOW, YOU MUST BE CAREFULL NOT TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE LIVES OF OTHER ADDICTS WHO ARE ALSO NEW TO RECOVERY. THE SAD THING IS, MOST OF THE PEOPLE WE MEET WHEN WE BEGIN OUR RECOVERY, WILL NOT BE CLEAN A YEAR FROM NOW, A MONTH FROM NOW, OR INSOME CASES, EVEN A DAY FROM NOW.
BY WORKING THE STEPS AND CHANGING OUR OLD DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS, WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW POWERFUL OUR DISEASE IS. IF ANOTHER ADDICT CHOOSES TO USE AGAIN, WE CAN NOT LET THAT WEAKEN OUR FAITH. WE HAVE STREGNTH IN NUMBERS AND WE NEVER TRY TO SAVE A SINKING ADDICT BY OURSELVES, WE GO IN GROUPS.
LET'S NOT DWELL ON HOW MANY ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT, BUT FOCUS ON HOW MANY MILLIONS OF US HAVE, IF ONLY JUST FOR TODAY. THERE ARE MIRACLES SURROUNDING US WHEN WE WALK INTO A MEETING OF 100 PEOPLE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD LONG AGO. I BELIEVE WE WERE SPARED SO WE COULD BE THE ONES TO CARRY THE MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO ARE SICK AND SUFFERING, THAT THERE IS A BETTER WAY, THERE IS A BETTER LIFE, THAT THERE ARE MANY OF US WHO ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. WE DO RECOVER!

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