o many people are suffering in silence from a drug or alcohol addiction. You might have been one of them. You know the pain and internal conflict that comes along with having an addiction.
The best way to get people help for their addiction is to destigmatize the disease. They need to know it isn’t their fault, that there’s hope – and they need to hear it from people who have lived through it.
Recovery can be a personal, private process. But there is so much power in sharing your story, for yourself and for others.
Question is, where do you start?

I will never forget the day I learned how to let go of justified anger. I had just gotten sober and attended an AA meeting, where they were reading out of 12 Steps and 12 Traditions. I was listening but not fully until I heard these words from Step 6, “Self Righteous anger can be very enjoyable.” In a perverse way we allow people to annoy us because it brings a comfortable feeling of superiority. We proclaim our own righteousness by criticizing them instead of taking the time to help them understand why and how they’ve annoyed us. I sat up straight and dove into the reading eager to learn more about it.

When someone in your family is struggling with addiction, it can be complicated, exhausting, and confusing. You must find a delicate balance between being supportive and protecting your own boundaries. Navigating through this environment is often times draining and most families have questions. If you are experiencing problematic substance use in your family, there is support for you. It is important to realize that drug and alcohol use can affect the entire family and it’s wise for family members to get help as well. Below are a few common questions shared by family members of those with problematic substance use issues. 

Most everyone can relate to the physical withdrawal symptoms of caffeine. Whether you drink coffee or soda, missing your typical dose results in withdrawal. Your body responds to the lack of caffeine with headaches and sluggishness. Of course, this drug is relatively harmless. However, it makes the point that your body reacts to the absence of a substance. When you try to stop drinking alcohol or using heroin or other drugs, you may experience something similar. The reason behind drug withdrawal is similar.

For those who know a loved one who struggles with addiction, it can be a painful experience. You may wonder why your loved one doesn’t just quit, why they allow alcohol or drugs to hurt them and others. Sadly, addiction is a brain disease that can affect how a person acts. In the throes of addiction, your loved one may have hurt you or those you care for. You may find it hard, even impossible to forgive them for the harm they’ve caused, even after they’ve achieved recovery.

Fresh out of rehab, I was determined stay sober and make up for all of the time I’d lost drinking. My schedule was packed; I went to meetings every day and attended school full-time. My body was still recovering from the toll alcohol had taken on it, and the medication I was on for anxiety relief left me even more tired. I was unemployed and living off my savings, so I worried constantly about money. My attempts to maintain this hectic schedule left me stressed and on the verge of a breakdown.