Abstinent Recipe of the Month: Salad & Ranch Dressing
ZERO SALAD DRESSING 1 medium onion 4 cups tomato or V8 juice 1/2 cup lemon juice Salt, pepper, garlic, parsley to taste Peel onion and cut into pieces. Process in blender with 1 cup tomato juice until smooth. Add remaining tomato juice and lemon juice. Process until well blended. Stir in seasonings to taste. Makes […]
Food Addiction, by Lori Herold, RD, LD
If you had asked me years ago if I believed that food could be an addiction like alcohol and drugs, I would have said “no”. I did not distinguish between an overweight individual and someone who was truly addicted to food. I also did not recognize that normal weight and underweight people could also be […]
The Price of Recovery by Erinne L.
When I saw this sign outside of a liquor store, I laughed hysterically. Maybe for a lot of people, booze IS cheaper than therapy. Then I wondered what my tally sheet would really look like…. perhaps therapy and recovery were more expensive? Being curious and a bit bothered by the thought, I sat down and […]
Priorities by Mike H.
I have 26 years in recovery and 19+ years working at a treatment facility for adults. I am still amazed at how many of us make our recoveries much more difficult than they need to be. The terms “in your head,” “over-thinking it” and “over-analyzing things” come up a lot. Those who are working recovery […]
It Really Does Work by John Y.
In April 2007 I went on a mini vacation to an NA convention in the Florida Keys. I was tired and needed a break. When you hear that “recovery is hard work” I can tell you they are not kidding. We in the rooms of recovery see so many newcomers come and go that I wanted […]
What’s Food Got To Do With It? by Clara W.
Before abstinence, holidays meant food, birthdays meant food, vacations meant food, socializing meant food and waking up in the morning meant food. Basically, there wasn’t anything in my life that didn’t mean food. I was either bingeing or planning my next binge. Life was passing me by without my awareness. From Halloween through New Year’s, […]
When the pain gets great enough by Cassandra V.
I will never forget the day I got clean. I was more broken than I had ever been in my life. I hadn’t lost anything on the outside, but I was completely dead on the inside. I hated everything about me and everything I had become. At this point in my life I was willing […]
Abstinent Recipe of the Month: Texas Chili
Turning Point of Tampa supports 12 step recovery for those suffering with an eating disorder. Eating Disorders are progressive, addictive, dangerous and potentially fatal. Please enjoy this recipe and share the hope that recovery is possible. TEXAS CHILI 4 oz. diced beef or chicken, cooked weight 1/2 cup tomato sauce Chili powder to taste Simmer […]
The Real Gift by Joan B.
Now that the holidays are over and all the store-bought gifts are given, we can focus on the “Real Gift.” In recovery, it is important to continue to give of ourselves; with these gestures, we enrich our own lives. Stopping and helping a newcomer, or sometimes an old-timer; listening and sharing the principles of the […]
Whats food got to do with this blog?
Turning Point of Tampa supports 12 step recovery for those suffering with an eating disorder. Eating Disorders are progressive, addictive, dangerous and potentially fatal. We will be featuring one abstinent recipe each month in order to share the hope that recovery is possible. Johnny Marzetti ½ cup steamed spaghetti squash or 1 cup of vegetable […]
Getting clean, coming clean & staying clean by Ashley N.
I got clean when I was 25 and definitely did not think I had a problem with alcohol. I came to treatment at Turning Point of Tampa with one goal in mind: stop using drugs. Alcohol was not even on my radar as a problem. I remember making several phone calls to friends from college, […]
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 […]