The Bondage of Self by John B.
Having spent the last several days in my head, by myself, I thought it would be a good time to share…. “I have been thinking about how much it has been raining in recent days. In addition, the humidity has been RIDICULOUS. When it gets like this, mushrooms begin to sprout on my lawn, which […]
Only The Good Die/Get Sober Young? by Logan C.
When I came into recovery I was 19 years old. Well, let me clarify this, I was 19 but turned 20 a mere 15 days later. For some reason 19 sounds much more dramatic and awe-inspiring, like I am the Doogie Howser of recovery or something. But I digress. When I came into the rooms, […]
The Pizza Box by Clara W.
When I went through treatment for my food addiction 25 years ago, I was told that during my abstinent years ahead I would have times when I experience “euphoric recall,” thinking about all those foods that I used to binge on and how yummy and soothing they were. These thoughts would likely trigger cravings and […]
An Attitude of Gratitude by Meredith D.
When I was invited to write something for Recovery Bytes, I thought for a while…what is there left to say about recovery that hasn’t already been said? What could I offer that is truly fresh, inspiring, and provocative? Following a spate of prayer and meditation, I realized my contribution does not have to be any […]
Don’t you know who I am? by Erinne L.
I had heard in meetings that ‘recovery ruined my drinking’, but how, I didn’t quite know. I had to do the research, and my findings confirmed that little nugget of information. I was sober a few years, playing with the program like it was my own little set of Legos. I made up my own […]
The Diving Stand by Mike H.
“I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as much as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitude.”–From the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous While planning the family vacation several years ago, I decided to return to the lake where I have […]
The GR8 and powerful by John B.
Of late,I have begun to suspect that something isn’t right with me. Certainly, the fact thatI have been living life on a basis of “unsatisfied demands” for the past 60+ years or so is undeniable. I have never really cared for the way the universe works, you know? I mean, why do I have to […]
Things are not always what they seem by John Y.
I recently went to a meeting I don’t regularly attend. This particular meeting isn’t very close to my house and it is in a pretty rough neighborhood. The meeting turned out to be pretty good and afterward I hung out at the meeting after the meeting to talk with some of my friends. As I […]
Misery Factory by John B.
“Therefore avoid the deliberate manufacture of misery.” –Alcoholics Anonymous I spend a lot of time wondering what might be wrong with me. You see, I am almost never happy. And I don’t mean happy as in a good mood, because I’m in a good mood. Alright? No, I mean happy as in satisfied, contented, fulfilled. And, yes, […]
The Paperboy by Mike H.
Humility helps us to be teachable and flexible. To continue growing and avoid relapse, humility must be constantly maintained from King Baby written by Tom Cunningham. “You want me to do what?” Mark almost screamed at his sponsor. “I want you to take over a paper route. It is all arranged. You start tomorrow night. […]
The 4th Dimension by John B.
My first day in treatment I was given a Big Book and a 12 & 12 for my reading enjoyment. It was extremely difficult for me to read, though, as there seemed to be a Category 5 hurricane blowing full force inside my brain. However, the fact that I was unable to sleep gave me […]
Monday, Monday….By John B
“Monday, Monday! Just hate that day…”Peter, Paul and Mary It’s Tuesday, which means I survived another “post weekend return to work day”, as I like to call it …Monday. It is the single most difficult day of the week for me. And the reason is that on Mondays I have to change gears, put my […]
Do You Still Go To Meetings? By Mike H.
Recently a client came up to me and asked “Do you still got to meetings after being sober for so long?” I saw the pained look on his face when I answered “Of course, where do you think the so long comes from?” I know he didn’t want to hear that – his thought process […]
You Have Downloads Available by John B.
“The fact that the human race has evolved to this point is conclusive proof of the existence of a Higher Power.” I have come to realize that my brain is like a computer, and it’s Operating System known as Alcoholic/Obsessive-Compulsive 1.0 has viruses, outdated programs and mal-ware in it. In the same way that I […]
Fear…Bugaboo by John B
I am grateful that I am not dead. Because, If I was dead I would not get to learn how it all turns out; and I really want to find out! I’ll bet that it doesn’t even come close to the way I think it will. I heard there are actually some 25 year […]
Client Quotes…(You Can’t Make this Stuff Up)… By Mike H
Client: I don’t think I need to stay at a half-way house after treatment.Therapist: Why not?Client: My boyfriend has an apartment that’s about half way between here and my job. Client: I am not in denial – I am not an alcoholic.Therapist: How do you explain 3 DUI’s?Client: Easy. All the guys I work with […]
Living The Life Unconscious by John B
This post is about living an unconscious life. The tragedy is that, by its very nature, when you live “unconsciously”, you tend to be unaware of it! To be fair, it is very difficult to pay attention when you are busily engaging the addict/alcoholic through addictive behavior, either by obsessing about your addiction or actually […]
One Less at Happy Hour by Mike H
Many clients enter treatment with the affect of an abusive history, usually dating back to childhood. They speak safely, avoid eye contact, and tend to isolate themselves. This is how they learned to take care of themselves in their abusive, chaotic environment. “If they don’t know I’m here, if they can’t see me or hear […]
It’s a Miracle by John B
Let me say a few words about depression and anxiety: I hate them both! And they are related to each other like evil twins; an incestuous brother and sister act. For those of you that don’t actually have a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, you are the lucky ones. For those of us that do, […]
Man in the Mirror by Jim D
Surrender and acceptance is key to my program on a daily basis today, without it I think (KNOW) I’d drive myself crazy and more than likely lean toward a relapse. In the beginning of my recovery it was all about staying clean and not drinking or using drugs, which I thought was my only problem. […]
Dog Paddling by John B
So I had this moment the other day. It had only been a couple of weeks since I had stopped working my program, and I was feeling pretty squirrelly. I’m always surprised when this happens, of course. I usually have no idea what is going on. Why do I feel so uncomfortable, I think. Am […]
Just Do It…by John B
Think About this: According to a bunch of really smart people, the majority (95 percent) of the observable universe is made up of stuff that nobody knows what it is…..they call it Dark Matter and Dark Energy. That means that the earth and everything we can see from it makes up less than 5 percent […]
Resistance is Futile by John B
He boldly strode out to the bow of the ship and shouted into the wind, as loud as he could manage, “I’m King of the WORLD!” (But said it mostly to impress some girl.) And then, “No, wait, I’m standing on the mother-bleeping TITANIC…..!” “Crap……!!!”, was all he could manage after that. For a long time after […]
Other People’s Opinions by John B
I have been a prisoner of what I like to think of as OPO, for a very long time. See, all I was trying to do, when I came to recovery, was stop the insanity. That’s it. I had no idea that there would be so much of it involved (and that it would be […]
