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Old Oct 03, 2007, 09:03 AM
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DePressMe DePressMe is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Member Since: Mar 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 3,921
I think the recovery chat was a smashing success! I would like to encourage everybody to come to our next one!

A few things I walked away with…

A renewed gratitude that I am not going through withdrawal. Hearing another person struggle with it reminds me of how hard it can be to get clean and sober. I have been through treatment 4 times and I have been detoxed by my doctor a few times outside of a detox unit…not to mention all the times I quit on my own. Detoxing is one of the toughest things I have done. (makes me wonder why I chose to do it so many times, you’d think I would have learned a little quicker). I have great compassion for those out there who are trying to get clean and sober. For me, the first few weeks were pure he**. But, the great thing is that it does get better. The bad part is that there is no way around the withdrawal—I just had to go through it—there is no easy way. Being in the detox centers helped because they gave me Valium and Librium to stop the DTs, but even then, you have to come off of those meds. I wish there was an easier way…but I have not found one—and trust me, I have looked.

I also felt comfortable being a non-AA person. Everybody made me feel welcomed and I did not feel like…like it was being suggested that AA and the steps are the only way to being sober. Sometimes, I have been told by some close minded people that I was a dry drunk because I was not working their version of the steps. Raynaadi, I think you really went out of the way to include me and I felt as if everybody was really open minded. There are many paths to recovery and I fully respect the “AA way.” Matter of fact, I occasionally borrow pieces of it here and there. I was told to take what you can use and leave the rest there.

We talked about isolation. I have struggled with isolation because I don’t have the support of the AA community. It has forced me to be extremely proactive in searching out friends and building close relationships with others. At this time I have 4 close people in my life who are in recovery—my brother (9 mos sober), my boyfriend (6 mos sober) my best girlfriend (6 years sober) and my soul mate (18 years sober)—none of us go to meetings, but I guess we have formed our own little community. I have developed friendships with people who don’t drink or who drink very little. Strange, some of them can have a glass of wine and stop—just like that. I also have weekly therapy sessions and monthly psychiatry appointments. I am very fortunate to have all this support.

I am talking in generalities about the meeting—I don’t want anybody to feel like I am talking about them or anything of that nature. I just want to share some of my thoughts and feelings from a wonderful and inspiring meeting.

I am grateful to be sober,
DePressMe
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