Not everyone will understand your recovery but as long as you are fully off the fence and admit that you need help you can receive it. Honesty, Open-mindedness, and Willingness the three "must haves" for recovery. It took what it took to get me where I am and by remembering the hurt and pain I can continually grow from it. Every experience in life shapes our character whether it be good or bad, it effects us. It is our perspective and outlook on the hard times that make us stronger. So if you are on the fence still figuring out if you should go one way or another, remember what got you to that fence. Also know that the other side is filled with amazing opportunities and great life experiences. I have enough drunk stories for a life time but now I have a life that is worth way more than just a story. My life is filled with adventures I can remember!! haha Imagine that!
Once I made the conscious decision to choose recovery and fully work a program my life changed for the better. For a long time I tried to hold on to those old ideas that maybe one day I could be normal and drink like a respectable lady. Or once I got out of this legal situation I will be better and everything will start working for me in the right way. It was my old thoughts and very close-minded outlook that wanted me not to change. Because lets face it change can be scary and that fear kept me sitting on the fence for a long time. The truth of the matter was that I wanted control of everything and everyone but it was the disease that had control of me.
Recovery has given me a life that I can be proud of. It has shown me a new outlook on things which used to be harmful for me. I no longer have the ability to judge anyone. You can never tell what someone else is going through and by no means compare yourself to them. "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel."-Steve Furtick I absolutely love that quote and it is so true! Who knows what someone else has going on in their life but we happen to know all the details of ours.
All I can say is what worked for me and that recovery works. Progress not perfection, every day I can choose to live to the best of my ability or squander it away in a bottle. That is right today I have a choice! At one point it wasn't a choice it was the only option. Having the ability to do the next right thing is just amazing! When I go and do things for other people I don't scream it from the roof tops, I do it because it is the right things to do. Of course in the process it makes me feel a little better too, but that's just a plus not the reason behind why I do it.
