ABCs of Recovery
- A is for Accountability. It’s annoying, it’s humbling, and it’s exactly what saved my life.
- B is for Boundaries. Learning that 'No' is a complete sentence was the best Im present I ever gave myself.
- C is for Coffee. The official sponsor of every 7:00 AM meeting I never thought I’d attend.
- D is for Dignity. I can look in the mirror now without wanting to look away.
- E is for Emotions. Turns out I have them! All of them! All at once! It’s a lot, but it’s better than being numb.
- F is for Fellowship. The only people who don’t judge me for my 'toothbrush and baseboard' stories.
- G is for Gratitude. Even on a bad day, a bad day clean is a miracle.
- H is for Honesty. Not 'addict honesty,' but the real kind where I don't have to remember which lie I told to whom.
- I is for Inventory. Taking a look at my own side of the street instead of pointing at everyone else’s.
- J is for Joy. Not the chemical kind, but the real kind that comes from a sunset or a good laugh.
- K is for Kindness. Mostly, being kind to myself for the first time in 42 years.
- L is for Laughter. The deep, belly-aching kind that I thought I’d lost forever.
- M is for Meetings. The place where I found my tribe.
- N is for Newcomers. Reminding me exactly where I’ll end up if I stop doing the work.
- O is for Open-mindedness. Realizing that maybe—just maybe—I don't actually know everything.
- P is for Patience. Still working on this one. I want my 'Life Overhaul' delivered in 30 minutes or less, but recovery is a slow-cooker, not a microwave.
- Q is for Quiet. That beautiful moment in the morning before the world starts, where I can just breathe.
- R is for Relationships. The slow, steady process of earning back the hearts I broke.
- S is for Serenity. That feeling of 'it’s going to be okay' even when things go wrong.
- T is for Twelve Steps. The manual for the life I never knew how to live.
- U is for Understanding. That I am not my mistakes.
- V is for Value. Realizing that I actually have something to offer this world.
- W is for Willingness. The key that opens every door in this program.
- X is for the eXit For the things that do not belong in my life.
- Y is for Yielding. Letting go of the steering wheel and letting a Power greater than myself take over.
- Z is for Zero. The number of drugs I need today to be happy.