We are generally very good as addicts about making amends toward the people we have wronged, however there's often one person we tend to forget in that: ourselves. If we treated someone else like we treated our minds, bodies, and souls in our addictions -- what would we say to them? How would we make amends? What would we need to do to restore that relationship? Being reconciled with ourselves is necessary to moving forward and growing as a person. This episode deals with that process.

This episode is geared toward those in the life of the addict: parent, sibling, spouse, friend. What the one who is recovering needs is the stability of the people in their life fulfilling their role, being where they can be depended upon to be. Trying to be "everything" for the one who is recovering is exhausting and quite frankly none of us are qualified to do it. But, we CAN be there in our respective roles as a support and partner in their recovery.

If you need help finding resources for counseling, here is a good starting point:

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

How do you cope with life, stress, disappointment, unsurety, anger, insecurity, resentment, irritation, etc.?

What is your "go-to" emotion?

What is your default way of going through, and dealing with, life?

Understanding how you operate is key to then getting down and doing the work necessary to become better each day. Sobriety is of utmost importance, but the work does not end there. Make your “go-to” a pattern of just getting better, taking the next right step in every area of your life, one step at a time. Slow down, think, move.

All this and more in Episode 8: “What Is Your ‘Go-To’?”

15 years of sobriety! It has been a journey, and I'm still going. In this episode are my thoughts on making it to this point. I have had my share of struggles, and some beautiful moments as well. My sobriety was a pivotal moment that led me to become the man I am today: Christian. Husband. Father. Friend. It is my desire that these thoughts bring to mind the realities of living life sober, the importance of maintaining our sobriety, and that what I've learned through these years can bring hope that it most definitely can be done. God is so good.

How do we deal with discouragement while staying sober? How do we deal with the voices from others, as well as those thoughts stuck in our minds, that are telling us we're destined to fail or we should just give up? Sometimes it can feel like getting sober makes life harder on us, when it should be getting better. We dive into these thoughts and explore how to deal with discouragement.

For me, it wasn't for lack of knowledge that I started down the path of addiction.

When you look back on where you've been, what got you there, and realize just how far you've come...well, it seems like it was another life entirely. So far removed, yet the memories are just as vivid. This is the short version of my story.