Staying Clean and Sober in The Everyday World

Let’s just get this part out of the way.  The things we need to know.  What is addiction?  Am I an addict? Is my family member an addict?  Where do I go for help with my addiction?  Is there anything the family can do to help during recovery?  Is there help for the family?  Will I ever regain their trust? What are addictive behaviors? 

These and many more questions are running through your mind as you start your recovery.  We will cover all your questions in upcoming posts.  Today we want to touch briefly on some of the main topics. 

Let’s start with the definition of an addict.  An addict is someone who just can’t stop on their own.  Stop what you may ask.  Stop whatever.  Not what you expected is it?  The saying goes “One is too many and a thousand is not enough”.  Once the addict takes the first one they will not stop until there is no other option.  For me it was when I could no longer keep my eyes open long enough to lift my crack pipe.  Then I passed out, woke up a day or two later, and started the whole thing over.  Some addicts are not as severe as I was but the urge to partake is just as strong.   

That brings us to the question of whether or not you are an addict.  My answer to you is this.  Once you partake of whatever it is, can you take just one and sit and watch everyone else the rest of the night without a desire to partake?  The key to my question is “desire”, not will.  Is the desire there and is it strong.  If you answered yes to this then you may be addicted and should look into some help. 

The help question, what kind of help is available?  There are too many options to name right here.  A lot depends on the severity of the addiction and your desire (there is that word again) to quit.  By severity I mean “have you hit bottom yet”.  No one can answer that question but you yourself.  Many will try to tell you it is time to quit (at least your real friends will) but only you know when it is time.   

All I can give you are some guidelines to go by.  Be honest with your answers.  That is something you will learn along your road to recovery.  This is an honest program.  Without honesty you will fail.  “But Cathy, you leave no hope in that statement.”  Without honesty to your self and to others there is no hope of success.  I do not want to get your hopes up for them to come crashing down on you.  I am here to give you the bitter truth.  I’m sorry if you feel it is too hard.  Come back when you can be honest with yourself about how desperate your situation is.  I’ll be here with open arms. 

Ask yourself these questions:  Can I stop on my own?  Have I tried to quit and failed?Do I pay my bills before I indulge?Do I borrow to feed my habit?Do I steal to feed my habit?Do I lie to feed my habit?Am I trying to hide my habit from those around me?Have I been in jail due to anything surrounding my habit?Have I run up my credit cards to feed my habit? 

These are just a few questions to get you started.  If you answered yes to any of these questions then you know whether you are an addict and do not need me to tell you.  The good news is that there is help available to you.  There are treatment facilities.  These include private, state ran, and my personal favorite, Christian.  Whichever one you choose keep in mind what I said earlier about honesty.  Another option which is absolutely free is any number of 12 step programs.  These are a group of people in the same boat as you with varying times of recovery that meet on a regular basis to help each other with recovery.  These groups are also available for families.  They are support groups.  Another more expensive alternative is counseling.  A good treatment center will offer out-patient counseling as well as in- patient facilities.   

I have included a HELP page which you can find at the top with links to some of these types of treatments.  Browse through them and see what is for you. 

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