What Recovery “Ain’t”.

In my first year of recovery, my friend JW used to say that every person he came in contact with had something to teach him.

Although, this concept appealed to me and seemed like a great idea , it puzzled me. How could I learn from a using addict? What did a dry drunk have to teach me? So one day, over a game of chess, I asked him. What do you mean? How can everyone be my teacher? Certainly, I will meet people who I should not pattern my behavior after.

He just smiled and said “If nothing else, I can learn what NOT to do.”

As simple a concept as it was, it was very profound at that time and is still a part of my recovery today. It helps me practice tolerance toward my fellow recovering brothers and sisters and to keep the focus on myself instead of everyone else.

So, in the spirit of this golden nugget of wisdom. I dedicate this video to my friend JW. I love you man!

Being an Addict is a Crime?

I try not to let misguided comments regarding addiction and alcoholism bother me too much, but sometimes I’m simply unable - or perhaps unwilling. When I read an article about Michael Vick yesterday I couldn’t help but release a long sigh of disbelief and frustration.

Why is he in this program? Was he a drug addict? If so, why was he not prosecuted for that and sentenced appropriately?

What?

First, let me say that I agree with this post on several points. I don’t think celebrities who commit crimes should be treated differently. I think what Vick did was despicable. What does bother me is the outright indictment of addiction as a “crime.”  A crime? Since when did being an addict become a crime. People should consider more closely what they say before they say it.

Holidays are a tough time for those that are addicted

This is an especially hard time for many addicted individuals. It’s articles like this that rekindle any gratitude that might have dimmed because of complacency. It was not that long ago that I dealt with a health system that was unable to provide me adequate help. At the end of my ropes, not sure where to turn, I encountered obstacle after obstacle. Thank goodness for willingness, family, and a small desire to live.

This holiday season, treatment facilities and hospitals are at capacity. Trying to find hospital supervised detoxification in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas was next to impossible the week before Christmas. We saw troubled addicts seeking help turned away and told to “make an appointment” for a later date — after the holidays or in the springtime. Addicts in desperate need cannot keep some of those appointments because they die before the “system” can embrace them.

Read the rest of this article by John E. Carey at The Washington Times.