Kathy Lynn, from Massachusetts is the author of a honest and captivating blog called Gospodi Pomiluj…
“What does that mean? It means “Lord Have Mercy” and is part of the Serbian Orthodox Liturgy. Last time I stayed sober for any length of time I used it as a moniker. Serbian Orthodox was the closest I came to religious training. I’m not religious but I am spiritual. My grandmother used to take me to her church and it has special meaning to me.”

Sunday, November 11, 2007
Five Months

Unbelievable! I think this might be the longest time I have ever gone without a drink…

Sober Steve describes himself…
“On November 28, 2006, I started a new journey in my life. For the first time in over twenty years I walk down a sober path. A path I have found lit by others before me. This is my journey down this path. Thanks for the encouragement from others to start this blog. Hope you enjoy it, and keep coming back.”

Below is an excerpt from his blog…

Finding myself

Its been over 11 months since I last drank anything. But why can I still lust after its taste and desire it touch on my lips. Its because I’m an…

When I was drinking and using, I was also doing and going all the time. You know that FedEx ad “Overwhelmed” where the guy just can’t slow down. He sits there at a completely empty desk shouting “Worky work! Busy Bee!” That was me back then. That is, whenever I could make myself get out of bed.

Looking back, I think I channeled the Energizer Bunny mostly to keep from facing how alone I felt. Not was, necessarily, but felt. As an active substance abuser, I had no comfort in my own company and so had nothing real to give back…

Okay, apparently today we’re in love with the blog What Winner’s Do. I followed the link in the previous post and read over more of that blog, and noticed this all together fascinating post about Suboxone:

Prior to me admitting to my family that I had an addiction to Oxycontin, I had stopped using the drug for periods of time. It wasn’t pleasant but I would either ride out the withdrawal symptoms, or I would take some Suboxone that I got off the street. I would then vow to start fresh and not use anymore.

That would last for a week, maybe…

Take a look at this energizing blog entry from What Winners Do “Stories, Struggles And Success of A Recovering Addict Trying to Do What Winners Do.”

Spirituality In Addiction Recovery

November 13, 2007

It has been said that addicts who enter into recovery are actually fortunate for they are forced to take a look at themselves and their spirituality. By self-examination, recovering addicts are able to realize that their lack of spirituality is partly the cause of their distress.

It seems that many people are incapable of tolerating themselves because they have a negative feelings about themselves. They start to have a distorted self image…

This little excerpt was taken from sobermusicians.com, a community blog for sobermusician.com members. Needless to say, it is pretty interesting how pharmaceutical companies always manage to jump on the bandwagon.

MySpace Teams with Drug Company to Launch Site Addressing Addiction
by Kristen Nicole
August 14, 2007

MySpace has teamed up with a pharmaceutical company to offer an informational profile that�s geared specifically towards educating the masses on the danger of addiction.

The site is called Addiction411, and is directed towards the 16 - 25 year-old demographic in an effort to give information about drug abuse. Providing data on things like drug affects on the brain, how…

Nutritional studies recommended that people in recovery eat on “cruise control” throughout the day. This means eating small, frequent mini-meals–to maintain energy levels and moods more even.

Suggestions for a Diet that Promotes Recovery:
Use theUSDA’s Food Guide Pyramid as a guide to prepare well-balanced meals
Eat 3 snacks and 3 meals per day (see Smart Snacking)
Drink decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas to decrease caffeine
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables
Eat foods made of whole grains
Eat more beans and grain products, limit the amount of red meat eaten. Red meats are harder to digest.
Eliminate or keep to a minimum foods that contain sugar and caffeine
Be aware…

A response to the article on the Delray beach recovery community that appeared in The New York Times November 16th, 2007…

The New York Times
November 26, 2007
Addiction and Community
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To the Editor:

Addiction is an…

The Fellow Traveler says it best herself “I am an alcoholic/addict trying to live life on life’s terms.”

Monday, November 19, 2007

I know that there are a lot of dually addicted people, I am one of them. There are, however plenty of pure alcoholics out there, & in AA, that deserve to be able to come to an AA meeting for help with their alcoholism, & not have to hear about people sticking needles in their arms. We are getting a lot of meth addicts, and there are some pure addicts, that claim to be addicts, and not alcoholics, that come into…

I don’t know about you, but after having stuffed myself for the past week (in preparation for, during and for 4 days after the actual holiday of Thanksgiving) I am not feeling any too happy about the fact that my jeans seem to have morphed since I last put them on and there is now a definite stretch right under my derriere which was not there last week. Also, life being what it is, there are many things that are not going my way these days, such as the fact that my son does not want to be a nuclear…

Shadow, author of the blog 1 Door Away From Heaven, Part II gives a solid and refreshing perspective on being in recovery and getting on with life. Shadow comes to us from South Africa.

Sunday November 25th 2007
Dreams

i haven’t had one of these for absolutely ages, ’til last night that is….

hubby, the bean and i were out together, it was nighttime, the place a cross between a nightclub and a kids playground. i don’t remember drinking, all i know is that i was drunk. at one stage, i was looking for hubby, and he was calling me, and i knew he…

When I hit bottom and bounced into sobriety, I was soooooo broke I needed professional help to untangle my finances. Mostly through cutting up my existing credit cards and not getting new ones for a couple of years, I finally managed to zoom up to a net worth of zero. In other words, I got out of debt. It was a day Alice (my personal name for HP) and I did some serious, spiritual high-fiving!

I have plastic again, but I use it advisedly—credit card for any travel that needs a reimbursement record or a tax trail; debit card for daily life. As…

Punk Friends in Recovery is a great blog, but mind that you aren’t bothered by a punk rock attitude in recovery!

October 22, 2007 - Monday
What the…

What can I say… What can I do? I’m Jeff, just Jeff. An alcoholic and a drug addict in recovery. It’s been a long strange trip and its been bumpy as hell but only because I’ve made it bumpy.

Let me tell you guys something… The only way any of us are going to make it is with God (a higher power). I know this because every time I turned my back on God I relapsed. But…

“SomeChick” at the All About Meth blog often has interesting articles pulled from the news… or even the news that no one will print. This article in particular was sent by the author, asking:

I wrote an article called Anhydrous Ammonia Leak raises Methamphetamine Awareness. Unfortunately, none of the local papers seem interested in printing it. I thought it was good expository writing, but I guess not. I’d love to send it to you. I really found your blog interesting as well as informative. Send me an email and I’ll send you what I have.
Jennifer

Anhydrous Ammonia Leak Raises Methamphetamine AwarenessNovember 20, 2007

by…

Spencer Steel is the author of Staying Straight Edge, “the continuing saga of a thirty-something year old kid, trying to get to grips with not drinking, not using, not eating meat, expanding his spiritual path and patiently waiting for Miss Right.” He is a marathon runner (entered in the 2008 London Marathon for Spinal Research), has a great sense of humor and lives in England.

Sunday, November 25, 2007
head and heart

Why am I so hard on myself?

As I ran 10.5 miles this morning, (90 mins), and I was scolding myself virtually all the way around. Telling myself how poorly I was…

The below excerpt is Mary Christine, a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Her blog, Anonymous Alcoholic, is candid and realistic and definitely worth taking a peek at.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

I am an alcoholic. I was unable to quit on my own. I got to Alcoholics Anonymous on July 24, 1984 and have not had a drink since. I have only wanted to have a drink on a couple of occasions since I got sober and still did not have a drink. I give the credit for this to a loving God who could do for me what I could not…

The What Winners Do blog posted a great list of seven things she’s grateful for about being in recovery. I strongly recommend checking out her whole blog, because she writes well and she writes honestly. I hope this list of seven things entices you to check out more of what she’s written:

1. I don’t have to distract myself from what is going on inside - I’ve spent so many years fearing what I would find if I just stopped and looked at myself that I found every way imaginable to distract myself…mainly with drugs and alcohol. I am so grateful that in recovery I…

I’m a woman who’s been Twelve Stepping for almost two decades. Honesty is right at the core of my recovery.

Before Recovery, it took me a long time to realize that what I’d made up and called “my life” wasn’t really all that much fun. After I entered Recovery, it still took me years to peel back the layers of dicey explanations I’d used to excuse all those screwy things I’d done that hadn’t worked, and that hadn’t make me, or anyone else, happy. The first thing I had to recognize was the fact that I’d been a spin-doctor for…

Every parent can probably relate to this post, over at Child Lost:

Then there is Josh and another episode that occurred yesterday in his battle of addiction. The entire family is in an uproar today over it and I just do not have any reserves left to comfort or care about what is going on. He has no idea or comprehension of what effect he is having on not just his parents but his brothers as well. As most of us know, addiction is not an individual disease, it is a family disease and I am afraid of what his future…

Just another dose of humor for the masses, from Users Are Losers! (1970, California). For a larger view, click on the image.

Some times our personal experiences are of interest to others because they are so universal. John D. of UK reports he’s been sober for 3,000 days, and his life is now better than he ever expected it to be. The words he writes reminds me of things I’ve heard from other people who’ve been clean for a long time (the specifics are different for each person, but the sense of joy about life seems widely shared):

3000 Days off the Booze and any mind altering substances……..

Bloody Fantastic………

Hard work at times but the rewards are immeasurable. Instead of an early miserable lonely…

By Martha Woodroof
Thursday 22nd Nov 2007

On this Thanksgiving, I am an American who is flat-out awash in gratitude.

It’s a visceral feeling, a toe-tingling twang through mind, body, and spirit. And what I’m most grateful for is that today is so much like yesterday was and tomorrow will be: pretty durn normal. Today, so far, has been productive and pleasant. I’ve given and gotten a few hugs, done a little work and a little cooking, and—so-far—been able to shoo away those pesky Devilettes (with names like Resentment, Annoyance and Jealousy) before they’ve had time to sink their claws into my psyche.

I…

This page is taken from USERS ARE LOSERS! from 1970 (California).

On this Thanksgiving, I am an American who is flat-out awash in gratitude.

It’s a visceral feeling, a toe-tingling twang through mind, body, and spirit. And what I’m most grateful for is that today is so much like yesterday was and tomorrow will be: pretty durn normal. Today, so far, has been productive and pleasant. I’ve given and gotten a few hugs, done a little work and a little cooking, and—so-far—been able to shoo away those pesky Devilettes (with names like Resentment, Annoyance and Jealousy) before they’ve had time to sink their claws into my psyche.

I just want to say that…

Facing the Habit is an award winning documentary by Magnolia Martin, (originally from Charlottesville, Virginia) about a drug addict and his journey to finding a drug that will enable his recovery.

Dave is a former stockbroker whose life has spiraled out of control due to heroin addiction. A one-time millionaire, he is now reduced to petty theft as a means to supply his habit. Desperate to get help, Dave travels to Mexico for the Ibogaine treatment.

The consequences of doing meth… a brave look into what happens even after you are not using anymore.

MusiCares, an organization whose primary focus is on resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues which directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. The foundation’s programs include emergency financial assistance, addiction recovery, outreach and leadership activities, and senior housing.

Watch Musicares honor Chris Cornell (formerly of Soundgarden, and now singer for Audioslave) at the 3rd Annual MAP Benefit show. Artists David Gahan (Depeche Mode), Alice Cooper and John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) also participated.

Nikki Sixx speaking about addiction, his struggle with recovery and taking life beyond addiction.

Co-authors Constance Curry and Kristina Wandzilak discuss the struggles with drug and alcohol addiction at the heart of their book, “The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter’s Worst Nightmare.”

Nobody said recovery was easy. Recovering Wino is “a 37 year old married recovering alcoholic trying to figure life out and do it sober.”

Monday, November 19, 2007
Learning Gratitude

I never realized that when I put down the drink that I would almost entirely have to re-learn how to live life again. It is very strange sometimes. I feel like I don’t know how to act right half the time. And it is hard to explain.

In AA, and in my readings and even in Yoga class (oh and Oprah of course), I hear of how important it is to be grateful. To…