A recovering addict told me, Cleaning drugs and alcohol from the body is one point on the long road of sobriety. True recovery is about walking the walk and handling obstacles with patience and faith.
My reflection: Life for addicts and for those of us who love them is not easy. Challenges confront us daily and the addict must be dedicated to fighting the good fight for themselves and with their Higher Power. As family members and loved ones, we learn how to support them from a distance and to keep hope alive.
Today’s Promise: The goal of walking the walk and handling obstacles with patience and faith is a goal for all of us, whether we are recovering addicts or not. The question is not if we will face obstacles and problems, but how will we face them. Whether it feels like it or not, I believe God is always with us. The ability to handle problems with patience and faith is my daily prayer.
Patience and Faith are two virtues that are imperative when dealing with drug addiction or not. It’s my opinion that we need both to live out our lives in somewhat normalcy. I have always had patience. Not sure why. But, my Faith has always been strong. Without my Faith, I think I surely would have lost my mind a long time ago. Without your higher power involved in your life, with or without addiction, you (we) feel powerless and hopeless. That’s why I begin my days with a daily prayer to help me throughout the day.
After my son died, for 8 days I had no feeling. I was numb, until I prayed to my God. He is the one who got me out of bed so I could move on with the rest of my life. After all, I had a husband that needed me and he needed ALL of me.
There are so many people in our lives that need us whole. Our children that are caught in the chaos of drug addiction must find their own way. That doesn’t mean we have to stop loving them. We can show our love but then we must step away from the chaos and allow them to live and learn in their own way.
My prayers and love to all of you.
Thank you Barbara and Libby for sharing. Patience was not my strong suit but certainly I have learned patience with watching addiction and its slow progress. Like watching grass grow in winter. Faith –also something that I have grown to have. Faith that the sun rises every morning ,Faith that God has put me where I was meant to be right now and he has put so many people in my path to assist me. Yes, now I have faith, more so than when I started this journey. I remember taking a trip with my sister 2 years ago to Arizona, Sedona and the Grand Canyon. It was two years after my sons overdose. I remember staring out over the vastness of the canyon with its awe inspiring beauty of great magnitude and thinking how could I ever doubt. If my Higher Power could create that he can guide all of us .
Love Jane
Dear Jane,
I took a trip to the Grand Canyon. It was after my son passed away, too. When I looked out into the great vastness, I cried uncontrollably. It was quite an experience. It was overwhelming, yet very spiritual.
Thank you for sharing.
Love to you with hugs.
Barbara
I am waiting patiently to see what God’s plan is for my son. Wow, I can’t believe those words are coming from me-someone who is not particularly patient, who cries and panics at the thought of my son spending time in jail, and who has not had God in my life until addiction taught me that I am not in control. Thanks to all of the people I have connected with through FA, Stay Close, treatment centers, I am learning to have faith. Thank you to all of you.
I hope that my son learns to have patience and faith so that he can know some of the joy that comes with a life without drugs…someday.
The recovering addict who told me this was Jeff. We were talking one day, and I wrote down his words because they hit a chord in my own character. Patience is one of my biggest weaknesses. I grew-up in a family where my Dad’s motto was, “Speed, accuracy and results.” When Jeff talked about patience, I thought about my dad and how much I’ve learned through addiction. Laura, Jane and Barbara, you are all right – patience is critical. I’ve learned the hard way. The old tapes of my youth continue to play as I try to ‘rewrite’ them. I continue to learn.
Faith comes more naturally to me, and I believe. Without my faith, I wouldn’t have made it through 14 years of addiction. God is with us and we are never alone.
Love to you all,
L
Patience is something I am not good at. I never have been but I have found through this journey that my patience is even less. I don’t know if its the desperate need to fix a loved one, exaggerated by my fear and anxiety or just something in my nature. Whatever the reason being patient has been something that I have had to learn to do and it does take time and energy.
My faith has grown immensely over the past couple of years and that gives me great comfort. I had pulled away from my church and beliefs out of anger about my situation. How is it possible that a God could allow this to happen to such a beautiful creature as my daughter, but I find now that my faith is something that is always there I just need to trust in it and it will get me through the day.
This is a long journey with so much to learn and so much patience required.