Word of the Day - Measure

How do we measure recovery? 

No one comes into recovery shouting HIP HIP HOORAY!  We make it here kicking and screaming, angry, tired, spent, sad, ashamed, guilty, hating ourselves and the world around us.  The drugs were our friend and they were the only solution we had for the pain and suffering in our lives.  They seemed to work and yet we couldn’t see that our continued use led to job loss, failed relationships, and getting in trouble with the law.  

To know no measure…

The measures taken to get the next hit; we did things that we never thought we would do; stealing from our own families; sold our bodies; left our children alone at home while we went out to cop.  We come into recovery, and we learn a new way to live.  

For so many of us the rewards of being in recovery are beyond measure; being employable; staying out of prison; getting our kids back; no longer chasing the next hit.  These things may not come to us overnight; they will take time.  Staying clean today brings us one step closer to achieving what we thought could never be or that we did not deserve; happiness, joy, freedom.  

We never have to use again we are told.  Sounds impossible… however it is possible - one day at a time.