What is Spirituality in Recovery?

What do you think is worse, being told you have an incurable disease that will slowly kill you, or being told that the only solution is a spiritual lifestyle?  For pretty much everyone else on the planet, the answer is obvious, but for those of us who suffer from addiction and alcoholism, this is our truth, and it is a truth we really struggle with.  Most of us have tried every imaginable way to regulate and enjoy our highs, to only drink or use when it is appropriate, but all of us have learned, through countless trial and error, that we are stuck.  It is only when we realize that in our disease the medicine is practicing spirituality in recovery and that it is completely free, that we start to realize how lucky we actually are.  So why do so many of us still struggle with the idea of spirituality in recovery?  For me, I struggled with it so much in the beginning because no one had been able to break it down to me in a way I could understand. While I was attending inpatient treatment, I heard people say surrender, I heard people say turn over my will, but I had no idea what that meant or how to do it.  So, if you find yourself in a similar predicament, where you truly WANT this spiritual, sober life, but don’t know how to actually DO it, keep reading.  For starters, stop overthinking I had an utter inability to get over the fact that I could not describe my higher power to myself. I knew I didn’t want what...

Staying Sober Through The Holidays

Any way you slice it, the holidays are a weird time for everyone. There can be an immense feeling of pressure, and for many of us in recovery, quite a bit of anxiety. So through all the dinners and gifts and holiday parties, what can we do to stay sober during the holidays? First of all, Congratulations I want to start this blog out by first congratulating you on your sobriety. It is by no easy feat that you have made it here, and if you have doubted for any second your ability to do this, I want you to realize how far you have already come from something like inpatient treatment in Colorado. So when the chaos and the noise and the painful holiday memories start to come up, remember how far you have come here, and if for nothing else, try to find some gratitude in that.  Why are these holidays so weird? Before my parents split up, I always remember absolutely loving this holiday season. Everything was perfect every year, we were all together, there was always a tree, and it was the one time of year my dad was actually around. After they split, and my sister and I had to decide which parent we wanted to spend the day with, things started to feel very transactional and forced.  As I got older, I realized just how stressful this time of year can be for people. There is an immense pressure to “get it all perfect”. It can be a lot. Then there are the painful memories and awkward family situations that pop up for people...