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A Better Way of Life
There were probably numerous
reasons of why you started drinking and/or using
drugs. One reason could be “everyone was doing
it” another could be “it’s in the family genes”
or “I have absolutely no idea how I got to this
point”. Regardless whatever the reason was of
why you started drugging or drinking you are
here now, reading this. There is a good chance
you are looking for a solution to a problem that
you no longer have a hold of. If you have a drug
or drinking problem, the real question right now
isn’t how you got here, but what are you going
to do about it? Are you going to go on, doing
the same thing you’ve been doing you ready for a
change?
There is a better way of life
to be lived. Right now, you may be drunk or high
as you read this. Right now, you may just be
curious as to what we have to offer and are
browsing the website. Or maybe, the pain of
continuing on the same path is unbearable and
you feel that you have to change, but you just
don’t know exactly where to start.
The best place to start is at
the beginning, admitting that you have a problem
and that you can’t control it any longer. A
paradox in many 12 step support groups is the
slogan: Surrender to Win. That means that by
giving up the fight of trying to control your
addiction by yourself and accept help, you will
win in the long run. And the truth is that you
do win in more ways than you ever expected. You
gain freedom from the bondage of addiction. You
will be able to do the things you wanted to do,
but couldn’t. You will be a free individual
again, no longer a prisoner or afraid.
Many newly sobered people are
afraid they will become glum or boring or lose
their sense of independence by accepting outside
help or by becoming apart of a 12 step program.
If you have these same questions, let’s think
about this: How much fun are you having drinking
and drugging right now? Is it really still
“fun”? And if you’re worried about losing your
independence, think about what you’re depending
on right now: Alcohol and/or Drugs. You probably
lost your independence a while ago and it may
have happened without you knowing it. Hard
things to think about, aren’t they? But when you
are able to come out from under the addiction,
you actually become MORE independent. You no
longer depend on the drink or drug. You are free
to live life and do what you want to do. Can you
imagine this in your life right now? It may be
hard to but it can come true for you, if you are
willing to change.
You may have lost hope and
think treatment or an aftercare program won’t
help you. Let me tell you that you are not alone
in thinking that way. Maybe you’ve been to
treatment before or have attended a few 12 step
meetings and you had a bad experience. Let me
share a brief story. A person came to us who had
been trying to sober up for over twenty years.
This person had been to treatment facilities and
numerous 12 step meetings but was unable to stay
sober more than a few months at a time. After
completing our program, this individual is still
sober today with almost a year and a half of
continuous sobriety! It happened for them and it
can happen for you. Don’t wait any longer. There
is a better way of life to be lived. It can
happen for you if you let it.
By: Patrick McLemore
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