“We take these steps for ourselves, not by ourselves…we recover.”

– Life with Hope, second edition, page 69

My addiction story is one of complete isolation. I had decided the solution to my issues and complaints was to never come down. I sat alone, ate Doritos and cried. A friend said, “Get out of the house, even if you have to tell yourself ‘no one will throw rocks at me.’ ” Those first steps took me to a meeting. There I found friends willing to pull me into that lifeboat, and show me how to row for the shore.

Today, I live in gratitude, helping my newest friends into the grace of a life worth living; into the lifeboat. I am not alone anymore. I have sponsors, sponsees, fellow addicts and friends, and a Higher Power I heard someone call “Poppa.” My minimal desire was to just find sanity but it took Step Twelve to really accept the blossoming of a spiritual connection. Now, I feel that connection in everything I do. I found a way out of the toxic atmosphere and into the light. I share that light in everything I do. My new life is a blessing, achieved through prayer, meditation, and going to phone and land meetings, and no one throws rocks at me.

Final thought: Today, I live in gratitude, helping my newest friends into the grace of a life worth living; into the lifeboat.