It’s Monday And I Want To Be Right by Joan B.
It’s Monday, and I always have an opportunity to work my program, with black belt efficiency or not, on a Monday. I’ve said in the past that if I ever relapsed, it would be on a Monday. I have an aversion to the day. When I was drinking, I rarely ever saw a Monday. Anyways, […]
Running on Empty by Ashley N.
Over the past year I have felt very tired, physically and mentally. This time last year I threw my back out and the rest of my body hasn’t felt the same since. I changed jobs at work and was given a lot more responsibility. I got a new sponsor. I sought outside help for some […]
Fox News Radio and Turning Point of Tampa Recovery radio. “Victim to Victor… A Tale of Two Addicts”
Addiction is one of those human conditions that has no boundaries. On this show we have 2 guests who both overcame drug addiction and substance abuse. One of them went from being an ex-con to honorary cop, and is now being awarded by Congress for his work towards helping young people from becoming victims of […]
Fox News Radio and Turning Point of Tampa Recovery story….Addiction and Incarceration…A Tale of Salvation
What if the concept of the American Dream is flawed because it encourages us to achieve success but does not teach us how to overcome failure? What if you are so blinded by the pursuit of doing good for your loved ones that you ignore the evil that lurks around them? One of those evils […]
Fox News Radio and Turning Point of Tampa compelling interview in series of Recovery Stories…”Falling From Grace”
Our story today is one that is closer to home than you think. This is a story of a young woman’s journey into the depths of addiction. Addiction is one of those human conditions that has no boundaries. “Grace” is going to tell us what took her there, and how she managed to get out. […]
It’s Only an Hour by Jeanne H.
I thought to stay homebut it’s only an hour,So I go for a doseOf the magical power. I take a seatAgainst the wall,Next to BubbaWith the southern drawl. All the regulars file inThere’s Mike and Joe,Sara and Tim. Crazy Carl is at it againYelling at Bob,His very best friend. There goes LenAcross the floor,Three cups […]
Three Questions by Clara W.
For me, all my character defects fall in the area of EGO. I strive daily to stay out of that neighborhood, but of course I often take a wrong turn and there I am again, usually ending up angry, resentful or hurt. The following sentence from Step 10 in AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions […]
Act As If, submitted anonymously
During the years I’ve been in recovery, my attitudes, beliefs, priorities and desires have been altered, and that miracle comes directly from working my spiritual program. Mother Theresa said, “To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” If I want to stay in the light of my Higher Power, every […]
From a Prison Life to an Honest Life by Rob
So I’m trying to take suggestions from my sponsor, so he tells me to be kind and in a store pay for the person’s stuff behind me. So it comes to my mind in Walmart; I look behind me and I thought, hell no! He had a basket full of stuff. So I went to […]
Doing it My Way by Eugene “Tree” H.
So I kept coming in and out of the program relapsing, trying to decide what I needed to work on to stay sober. What was I missing? What didn’t I do last time? I’d go to a meeting and hear someone share something good, where I thought maybe I was lacking, so I would think […]
The Committee in My Head by Eugene “Tree” H.
I often refer to the voices and the in-decisions in my head as my Committee holding a meeting, or I refer to them all flying in for the convention in my head. This happens whenever I need to make a decision or I am being challenged with doing the next right thing. My disease committee […]
A Goodbye Letter to My Disease, Anonymous
I am writing this letter to tell you that I want nothing to do with you. You have caused my family and me a tremendous amount of suffering for the last 10 to 15 years. You have caused both my family and me to be in poor health physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I have hated […]
At Home with the Principles by Tom G.
Looking back on my relationship with my first sponsor, there is one thing he said to me that resonates loudest: “Nothing is more difficult for us, in recovery, than dealing with our families.” And nothing could be more true. All the deepest wounds I have are from my childhood. The causes and conditions that led […]
Similarities, not Differences by Ashley N.
When I went to my first NA meeting, I immediately felt comfortable. That same meeting became my home group when I had 30 days clean, and it has remained my home group to this day. The first person that welcomed me to that meeting was a man from a much different walk of life than […]
Sponsorship by Alex K.
My first sponsor and I quickly formed a friendship in recovery. Not only did he walk me through the Steps, but he also listened to my self-centered fears and dramas that were common in my early recovery. We would drive together most nights to meetings all over town. Many late evenings were spent, after meetings, […]
The Road to Recovery by Whitley C.
At the age of 21 I found myself riding a Greyhound bus under the influence of many substances and there had never been a clearer sign that my life was crashing down around me. It was a normal day in my life at that time but my soul had emptied. I was physically ill due to the amount drugs and […]
I Can Make a Difference
Since I was old enough to ponder it (like 20 billion human brothers and sisters before me), I have always been obsessed, disheartened and confused to my soul by the daily spectacle of pointless suffering. I spent many a night drinking over my anger and dejection as I observed the world and its sometimes relentless […]
Look Before I Think by Clara W.
I’ve come to understand that my fears are just random feelings using me for target practice. I’ve also come to understand that my fears are usually based on thoughts that have taken residence in my head. My mind is not always a healthy neighborhood to visit, let alone live in, and that is because my […]
May 21, 1991, a gal by the name of Ellen got sober! by Joan B.
Today is my friend Ellen’s 24th sober anniversary. We have been friends for 22 years. In dog years, that’s about 88. I met Ellen when I started working at TPOT. I had 10 years, she had 2. I thought, what a wonderful, caring nurse. I had just moved here from California to make some living […]
First Thought
First thought wrongMaybe I’ll have a little.First thought wrong,I think I’ve figured out the riddle.First thought wrong,I’ll only have one shot.First thought wrong,It’s how I’ve gotten where I’ve got. Eleven forty-five at night, I threw back the top;Sixty in a thirty was enough for the cop.He pulled right up behind me, blue lights blazing on […]
Gratitude by Tommy G.
I was sober for 20 years when I relapsed. After going to school to receive my CAC, I figured I knew it all and didn’t need meetings or a sponsor. The fact that I did a geographic change made it that much easier. I have been blessed to be back in recovery for the last […]
A Byte of Recovery submitted Anonymously
Recovery has given me the chance to live an honorable, creative and useful life; to glimpse once in a while what it means and feels like to be a free man. For that, I am grateful.
An Alternative Path submitted Anonymously
Drinking to live Chained in pain Until I die It’s a long road No end in sight An alternative path Treatment Terror Rollercoaster ride – high/low Steps to recovery Sailing the seas with a competent crew Living free…Peace
How I use the Slogans…
This Too Shall Pass I definitely use this saying the most when I am stressed and anxious. I catch myself at least a dozen times a day needing to remind myself that what I am feeling is temporary, or remind myself that whatever I am going through – such as, running out of food and […]
