Recovery Reflections: April 26, 2017
Hello everyone! My name is Bianka. I would like to give you another warm welcome to Detox to Rehab’s Recovery Reflections. Please join us and listen to the experience, strength and hope shared by Corey, Brandon, and Megan.
We will pre-record readings from Alcoholics Anonymous: Daily Reflections. We express how this reading has helped our recovery or how it has impacted us. We thank you and hope we can inspire your recovery journey!
Alcoholics Anonymous
April 26, 2017: Happiness is not the Point
I don’t think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge? – As Bill Sees It, p. 306
In my search “to be happy,” I changed jobs, married and divorced, took geographical cures, and ran myself into debt–financially, emotionally and spiritually. In A.A., I’m learning to grow up. Instead of demanding that people, places and things make me happy, I can ask God for self-acceptance. When a problem overwhelms me, A.A.’s Twelve Steps will help me grow through the pain. The knowledge I gain can be a gift to others who suffer with the same problem. As Bill said, “When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn. When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it.”
Feeling Okay Without Drugs and Alcohol
“Shooting heroin was the ‘okayest’ I have ever felt,” Corey said.
Before I found recovery, shooting heroin was the only way I knew how to feel okay. I was lost in the world, depressed and alone. But when it came down to feeling better I knew a shot of dope could cure the pain. It got to the point where even a shot of heroin couldn’t make me feel okay, I needed something more and at the time I didn’t know that what I needed was recovery.
“I just want to feel okay, without a drink, without a drug; I just want to feel okay,” Megan said.
I was still searching for that one thing to make me feel okay. I wanted to feel content in life; I was always on edge and depressed. The alcohol and drugs stopped working and I didn’t know what to do. My life was a lie. Heroin, the one thing that ever made me feel okay, was making me feel worse. I was at the point where I would do anything to be okay.
Recovery Works if you Work it
“When I first got here (sober) happiness wasn’t the point. In all honesty, I just wanted to be okay,” Brandon said.
Because heroin stopped working, it was time for me to find something that would so, I got sober. When I got sober I didn’t think I was going to be happy right away. I honestly didn’t even think I would be happy. I just needed something new to rebuild my destroyed life on.
“I was just trying to save my life and happiness came along with it,” Corey said.
As I was rebuilding my life I noticed I was smiling more. I started laughing and enjoying life. Before I knew it, I was happy. When I got sober, I just wanted to be okay, but happiness came with sobriety.
“Happiness came with doing this work,” Megan said.
Yes, happiness came into my life but it didn’t just appear there: I had to work for it. It was nothing difficult. I had to work the 12-steps, go to meeting, work with others, and believe in something greater than myself that could restore me to sanity. In the beginning, I didn’t believe the 12-steps would work but as the days went by and the weight on my chest was lifted, I knew the 12-steps were a miracle. They make me feel okay and have giving me a life I never knew was possible.
“Waking up in a bed is a reason for me to be okay today,” Brandon said.
I am now grateful for the life I have. I went from sleeping on the streets to living in a beautiful home and having a bed to rest my head on at night. It is the little things in life that make me feel okay. I wouldn’t feel okay without the 12-step program. I followed the principles set out for me and the miracle of life happened right before my eyes.
If you or anyone you know is struggling to find happiness and just want to be okay, we understand. Never be afraid to reach out to better your life. Recovery is possible and there is hope for those suffering. Give us a call: (866) 578-7471
