Recovery Bytes

by Victor K. I was born in Phoenix, Arizona as an only child with two loving parents. My parents were quite wealthy, so growing up

By Ashley N I grew up in a very small town, so small it isn’t even a town, it’s a Junction. The only things around

Looking back over the last 5 years of sobriety, I asked myself: What is the main reason that I have been able to maintain my

by Jeffrey I One of the gifts of sobriety is handling life when it throws you a curve ball and last year it sure did. Thank

by Sam F. I had every reason in the world to stop using and drinking, but never cared enough to ever do anything about it.

Since I can remember, I always had addictive tendencies.  Anything I could do to take my mind off how I felt, or what I was

At my first AA meeting, I decided I wasn’t an alcoholic. You see, I compared myself to every person who shared.  I listened to people talking

In my active addiction I thought I knew everything. I had all the right answers, I knew what everyone was thinking, I knew how everyone

Looking back on my drinking days, there are several things that I was missing that kept me where I was. In my self-reliance I was

I’ve worked at Turning Point of Tampa for 16 years as a behavioral health tech. I have spent probably ten or more holidays with our

I moved back to the area where I grew up at the beginning of the pandemic. I got clean in Tampa and my homegroup had

Balance is defined as a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. If you would have told me 5 years

Because I Have 6 siblings, I sometimes hear “it should be easy to connect with others.” Well, that has not been my experience. Despite being

“If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through.” ~ Alcoholics Anonymous p. 83-84 Thinking

My definition of fun, now that I am in recovery, is completely different than when I was using. When I was using I was staying

When I first came into treatment back in 2004, my therapist had me read ACCEPTANCE is the Answer in the Big Book. After reading it

Looking back to my years in early recovery, I remember that everything was a big deal, whether the situation was positive or negative. Something as

I had no idea what to expect when I started my journey into recovery. Before coming to treatment, I’d never attended a 12-step meeting, had

I grew up close to my grandmother, she had always been my best friend. I knew growing up that she would go to these meetings

I survived my addiction to opiates and today I am grateful to know that total abstinence from all mind/mood altering substances is possible by working

October 16, 1984 – I was released from the Psych Ward at Harbor General hospital in Torrance Ca., at the tender age of 34. Thankfully,

Walking into this anniversary, I had to take a hard look at my program. Was I doing enough? Was I allowing the many blessings of

Recently, someone who has 18 years in recovery asked me to be their sponsor. I remember saying to a close friend, “It seems weird that

One of my favorite lines from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous is on page 62 – “Selfishness – self-centeredness! That, we think is the