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Recovery is possible, and at Workit Health we’re here to celebrate people’s positive changes. Find stories of recovery to inspire your own journey.
I am, in fact, a heroin user in long term recovery from addiction. Nineteen years, 34 abscesses, and eleven arrests ago, I had my last shot of heroin. I had been using opioids for ten years, heavily for eight of those. Like many users, my journey to recovery began in handcuffs
Dealing with chronic pain as a person in recovery is a controversial topic. Staunch 12 Steppers may take the hardline approach that you should not take anything stronger than Tylenol for pain. Others take a more pragmatic approach and listen to what their doctor considers to be the best treatment option.
Tracey Helton Mitchell, author of The Big Fix, explains why relapse shouldn't be treated as a dead end: "There were many relapses that I turned into learning experiences. Recovery is a marathon not a sprint. While not welcomed, relapses shouldn’t be treated as a dead end."
Quitting drugs is like any breakup. You’ve got to have your friends sit you down and tell you why that asshole wasn’t good for you, even when you can’t stop thinking about that one time you kissed in the rain and it felt like everything. You’ve got to have constant reminders, in those early times, of why something that became all you could think about moment to moment wasn’t good for you. I’m here to give you those reminders, or at least the ones that worked for me when I quit.
When I started writing this article the concept was to write about the point at which seven of us reached the end of our substance use disorder, and sought help. It was to show others that while that point may have looked different to all of us, we all had mounting consequences and a dire need to seek more for our lives—a life worth living, if you will.
People say there’s an epidemic, but I say there’s only me, alone, in a dark house.
The truth is, there are actually many excellent reasons for your loved one acting less than lovely in the throes of addiction. Addiction is a disease that’s practically perfect for bringing out your beloved’s inner beast.
In Part II of Confessions of an Alcoholic Mom, Dana Bowman talks about how she decided to choose sobriety and life, and thus getting her sanity back.
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