Hey folks, here is a video that TSR made, which features several amazing recovery stories and promotes the importance of addiction recovery! Enjoy (both parts)!
Follow the break for videos. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

My husband Mark, I have to admit it, hates fish. And people fish evangelize him all the time. I used to too, in my pre-vegetarian days, when a trip to the aquarium would make me hungry. The problem, you see, is never that people were different and have different needs and tastes; the problem is that Mark has never had “good” fish. “You’ve never tried really fresh fish. You haven’t tried this fish; it’s not a fishy fish. You haven’t tasted fish the way I make it. You haven’t been eating fish the right way. Try this. You’ll like it.”…

The 2nd annual A&E recovery rally featured another walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, this past Sat., Sept. 12. The walk, with an estimated attendance of 10,000, twice as much as last years crowd, reinforced the message that anyone can cross their own bridge to recovery.

There is little info about the events and final head count, via news or bloggers. However, the 24hr NYC news station, Channel 1, has great video and an article as well. The video also features Smokey Robinson, who is in recovery, and who performed in Brooklyn after the walk.

Click on the image to see the news…

Tonights Sunday Sober chat will be hosted by Steve E.

Our host Steve is a full on recovery enthusiast; sober now for 12, 927 days. Retired life has granted him enough hours in the day to constantly be of service to addicts and to blog almost religiously.
His blog chronicles the many stories he’s accumulated in his lifetime, and those of others–mostly narrated with a *big grin*. You can check out his blog here

Join us this Sunday, August 9th, at 8pm EST.
Steve has chosen the topic, “What brought you to your knees.” He will be hosting a discussion about what  your turning point was.…

TSR has been proud to promote Joshua Lyon’s new book Pill Head, even making him our first official author of the month in July. His Sunday chat here at TSR was fantastic. The above interview on NPR features great dialogue about addiction and the book. Commentary from the call in audience was also phenomenal and added a great layer to the informative chat. Just click on the picture above to visit NPR’s website and listen to the interview. You will even hear Joshua mention The Second Road!
Enjoy!

TSR wants to make sure Joshua Lyon receives honorable mention for his incredible memoir, Pill Head. We hope you will show your support for Joshua, he is helping spread awareness about addiction and the pill epidemic. The book hit shelves on your local bookstore today and the full review is here. It is part drug addled memoir and part thoughtful, investigative journalism; it is the story of a pill addict told with unflinching honesty, from first pill to detox. The book weaves together the stories of addicts, doctors, and governmental agents–effectively demonstrating how the lives and decisions of each are intertwined in America’s…

Tonight is the night!  8 pm EST is the time. The Sunday chat series, an informal meeting of minds and recovering addicts, will be hosted by the fabulous Kristin H. She is a lovely lady in recovery 8 years now. You can find her past TSR contributions here, AND start following her own blog.

The first guest in the chat room gets to choose the topic. If you don’t already have a TSR account….well, what are you waiting on…start one today! Guests must have an account to join us in the chat room. See you there!

Intervention, on A&E, is a popular show examining various addictions and the effects on the addict and their families. Click on the image above to see the lineup for this season, as well as past episodes. Full video can also be found on their website.

Tonight’s episode:

After being molested as a child, Nicole developed an unusual eating disorder–she was unable to swallow. By age 16, she weighed just 68 pounds, and doctors inserted a feeding tube into her stomach. The tube was supposed to be temporary, but 16 years later, Nicole still relies on the tube and can’t swallow any food or liquids.…

Your calls today can expand opportunities for people to get the help that they need to recover from addiction to alcohol and other drugs!

From Join Together:

Today, June 17, is National Call Day — an effort to ensure that substance use/abuse and mental illness prevention, treatment and recovery are included in healthcare reform legislation. If you have an opinion on this issue, you may want to call your members of Congress today. To find the contact information for your members of congress, go online (click) and insert your zip code, or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

…

We are very happy to introduce Dr. Michael Stein, our newest blogger at TSR.  He is an Internal Medicine physician, who obviously has a gift for writing and a special interest in recovery.   We’re going to let him get started by writing from his heart and see how you, our TSR members, want to proceed.  Maybe he can write a “Question and Answer” column, or you can ask him to write on specific subjects - it’s your site, so let’s see what happens.  I just reviewed his latest book, “The Addict”,  - the story of a year in the life of…

Earlier this month, Jason here at The Second Road linked to an article by Nina Caplan, a writer who shares her experience of going without alcohol for a month. What struck me in reading her piece was how boring she found life without alcohol. “So I did it. It’s not difficult. Just dull,” she writes. And, “What else did I learn after a month of stone-cold sobriety? That it’s over-rated.” That is the stereotype of sobriety and the fear of almost anyone facing recovery, whether from alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food or codependency (aka addiction to addicts): What am I going…

here are some exerts from a stop smoking programme booklet…

“the key to success is ‘want power’ not ‘will power’”

“practice saying ‘no’ and going without”

“get support from friends and family… to put up with you if you are tense and irritable… who give you encouragement when you are finding it difficult and tell you not to give up.”

“throw away all your cigarettes”

“your goal is to get through today. deal with one urge at a time and beat it.”

“do things that help you not to smoke and avoid things that make you want to smoke”

“avoid smokers and spend more time with non-smokers”

“avoid places…

Researchers recently presented reports that suggest online drug-treatment programs are an effective form of rehabilitation, at least in the short term.  Former U.S. drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey approves of the concept and recognizes its economic value, saying, “This Internet delivery behind health care is going to be a big thing for us in the coming years.”

The Second Road from start envisioned an online community that would not only augment one’s chosen program, but also reach people who, for numerous reasons, do not attend meetings. There are high numbers of people who want help, but who often have a stigma of…

April is Alcohol Awareness Month (AAM). TSR is showcasing a recovery story everyday. Here is the first submission. Please submit yours to alix@thesecondroad.org. A deep bow to this anonymous person coming forward and sharing their experience.

Today is my first day back to work, after two weeks in detox and two weeks of treatment. I know it doesn’t sound like a long time but after many years of reflection and a month of stepping back. I can read the writing on the wall. If it had not been for the people who care for me I was on a road of…

I recently attended a conference that examined the reasons why we need to establish a Department of Peace. I walked away with many tools to apply towards my recovery; towards my transformation into a well being.

Since I had received a scholarship there I wanted to help serve in some way. While meeting with my team to discuss our schedule for the weekend, I said, “more will be revealed.”  Now, I thought I picked that up from the Magic 8 ball, that round superficial soothsayer. Apparently this is a recovery phrase. One of the conference volunteers pulled me aside the next…

You are invited to join our weekly Sunday chats that each week feature a new host from the recovery community.  Margaux will be our host this Sunday, March 29th, at 8pm EST.

I read Margaux often, for inspiration, for reflection on how to stay strong and transform pain into self-discovery. Her words are candid and insightful, punctuated with both humor and grimace.  She brilliantly communicates all the emotions and revelations that come up as her and her husband unravel the knot of his sex addiction.

She discovered her husband’s addiction three weeks before their wedding. As she writes, “Ending up in a…

Christmas found me employed temporarily as a UPS driver’s helper. Kinda like an elf, I guess. Not sure if it was hard work, because I have a high threshold for pain and enjoy a challenge. The driver I worked with seem to think I was really good, and that yes, it is very hard work that few people can do.

I often surprise myself with the things I can accomplish. Yet when I place my accomplishments against my day to day mundane routines, I feel pretty inferior. When I’m really passionate about something, immersed in an environment, facing a deadline, or…

The Second Road is seeking submissions from people very new to sobriety.  Our mission states that:  We are an online community BY and FOR people in recovery from addictions of all kinds. We welcome people in ALL stages of recovery using ANY method that works for them.

We want to welcome people who are new on the road to recovery, and help them connect with the community of other wonderful people facing the same obstacles. There are many people here who understand the fear and pain involved in overcoming addiction. Sharing your story here helps you reach out to people who…

Congratulations to the winner of the raffle: Judith.

Judith is AKA Vicarious Rising, a talented writer whose recovery blog is http://vicariousrising.typepad.com/
Word is she will be publishing a book of her own in the near future.

For now, she is the winner of Blackout Girl: Growing up and Drying out in America. We would like to thank both Judith and the author, Jennifer Storm, for helping us raise $40 this raffle.

Stay tuned for the next raffle, to be announced this week!

We can’t escape the Ego. Our best option is to embrace it, understand it, and forgive it. Ken Wilber is the philosopher who most influenced my initial recovery, encouraging me to use the big Ego as a functional vehicle. When I am defined by Ego, I am Narcissistic. Addicts are usually riding backseat in a limo driven by their Ego. In fact, I had to hijack the limo to arrive at the proper destination–sobriety.

Admitting our mistakes, our failures, our weaknesses, our sins, our fears–all part of the healing process. Not only is it a scary process, but it is one…

A few nights ago, I was surfing around the ol’ internetz, looking for some guided meditations. I’ve been struggling with both depression and boredom lately, and I thought I might find some visualization and relaxation exercises that I could use to help get me to a better place.

I did find some meditation podcasts that were pretty good, but the most intriguing thing I found was this video of a young, pointy-haired, British man tapping himself in the face. I have to admit that my love for Brit accents sucked me in more than anything, and then there was the what-the-heck…

Team TSR wants to extend a hearty thank you for all those joining the community. Thanks for helping us “pave the road.”
Here’s the latest news about the good things happening at TSR.

Chats
This week we will be continuing our fun tradition of Sunday Chats with hostess Kristin H.
Her chosen topic is “Letting Go of Dangerous People and Places for the Sake of Our Recovery.”
This process is definitely a major part of our recovery foundation. Come join us and share your experiences, this Sunday, at 8pm EST. That’s 2/8, by the way.
You can view Kristin’s blog at www.thesecondroad.org/tsr/author/Kristin%20H./

Raffles
Our first raffle started up…

When addiction moved into my house, and settled in for a long stay, I hit the library, Borders, and the internet.  I was voracious in seeking information about causes, cures, and the latest thinking.  No scrap of information was inconsequential.  I combed blogs looking for that story that matched mine.

I learned a lot.  Sadly, I found many stories that matched mine.  Eventually, my pain overrode my pride and I went to AlAnon.  I learned I had played a part in this.  I found recovery stories, and I savored each like a piece of fine chocolate.

After awhile, I began to see disagreement in the recovery community. …

I know you all have been wondering, Where the heck is Diary of a Quitter? Did she finally fulfill the promise of her name?

I’m still here, still coping with what life throws at me. The past couple of months were fraught with thyroid and depression woes, and changes in medication that made me quite sick for a few weeks. Then I lost my internet connection at home, so I haven’t been able to post.

Things seem to be working out though, like they usually do. My new (old) antidepressant is finally working, and thoughts are starting to flow again. One of…

What is there to say? This is just sad.

No recidivism rates were offered to provide context?

In Michigan, the two year recidivism rate for parolees is almost 50% and Washtenaw County is around 75%.

Three months of residential treatment costs about $8000 and they can then move into sober housing and pay their own way. Three months of outpatient treatment costs about $500. A year of prison costs $30,000. You do the math.

What drives this insanity? First we send them to prison in staggering numbers rather than offer help. Doing prison time assures that they lose nearly every shred of recovery capital and…

One of the fundamental tools I learned early on in recovery was HONESTY. It is key to any healing, growth and recovery. As an active addict—I lied. I told white lies that I thought were harmless and I told major lies that I knew were destructive. I lied about little things and I lied about big things. I strung together a laundry line of lies that got so tangled by the end of it that I couldn’t tell fact from my created fiction. The lies were a part of keeping my addiction alive and kicking. The lies were built from…

Tonight, I am very, very angry at my husband’s disease. I’m angry because I remember the sweet man I married, and that man is nothing like the man I’ve been living with over the past few weeks.

The reading in our Nar-Anon daily meditation book today, which was about detachment, said:

The addict has to take care of his or her own life struggles, as we have to take care of our own lives. They may not see there is a problem if they never have to experience it. It is my responsibility to take care of me and my life. By…

We went to his parents’ house to have dinner tonight. It’s the first time I’ve been around them in a while. I didn’t deliberately decide to stop hanging out with his folks…it just kind of happened. I’ve been working like crazy since last May, which is around when I stopped spending as much time with them. Once it happened, however, I recognized that there was a significant drop in the drama factor in my life. His mother and father are both addicts, and so engaging with them is exhausting.

His mother and father have both made little remarks to let me…

I had a very interesting experience yesterday.  I spoke to a group of first year medical students on addiction and recovery and several 12 steps groups.  I was paired up with a woman who was approximately my age and we both walked into the class, looking like their mothers dressed to go to a business meeting or a church service.  After we introduced ourselves I asked them to guess which one was the addict and which one was in Al-Anon.  The students shook their heads and said they couldn’t even begin to imagine which one of us was the addict. …

That’s about the best thing I can say regarding today - it’s basically over. I wish I had something more inspiring or uplifting to write about, but that’s all I’ve got right now. I muddled through it, and I didn’t use.

That’s something.

A year ago I could not have weathered this level of physical and mental discomfort with the calm and grace that I’ve mangaged in these past few weeks.

Meditation has been a great tool for me throughout my recovery process, and especially lately as I grapple with the physical discomfort of withdrawing from my meds. Meditation helps me put my…