The Voices of Recovery : reneweveryday.com

The Voices of Recovery

By: Guest Bloggers

Renew publishes the experiences of our readers and community members in hopes that others will find fellowship and support in their experiences.

It’s time to get to know ourselves, even if we don’t want to

Getting to know ourselves can be a messy and uncomfortable process. We might not like what we find.

Counting Down February’s Cold

Even at 28 days—and 29 this Leap Year--February always feels like the longest month. February is to winter what Wednesday is to the workweek: If we can get through February, even snow in April won’t rock us.

Recovery is a Subtle Game

What it feels like to be a sober woman in recovery for more than 10 years.

Stepping into sunshine

Toward the end, one of the biggest themes of my addiction was profound isolation. Years later, I get to walk away with an eloquent phrase of waking up.

Looking My Best in Recovery

In very early recovery, on my pink-holier-than-thou cloud, I decided to give up all make-up and hair color, shop at thrift stores as some weird penance or way to reveal the “real” me. Luckily I had a sponsor who spent the equivalent of my weekly salary on her hair each month. When I professed my spiritual breakthrough of giving up self-care she said, “I don’t think so … you didn’t get sober to wear sackcloth and ashes. Go make an appointment for a haircut.” Oh.

Tradition or limitation?

Riddle Me This ... Why do old time members of the “Alphabet Groups”, AA, NA, OA, etc., resist any new technology that compliments face to face meetings?

Beefing Up Recovery with Exercise

Exercise can be crucial for recovery. Exercising daily has not only strengthened my body and given me confidence, but by adding a vigorous activity to my daily routine, it has also served as a valuable tool to release my mind from destructive thoughts.

Looking for the next level of recovery

If you feel yourself wanting more than AA, don’t turn your back on it, just grab onto something else to supplement it.

Love in the Time of Recovery

Even after all these years of recovery I catch myself having expectations for Valentine’s Day. How many resentments it has caused. Dates, boyfriends, husbands. Even knowing that Valentine’s Day is a commercially created day, the cultural pressure exists. How do recovering people practice loving kindness for ourselves and others on Valentine’s Day?