Addiction Recovery Articles

My brother came home from a 12-month stay in rehab. My confidant, my jokester, my BFF is back! His year in rehab seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, but in the moment it seemed like every minute without his free spirit in our home took a lifetime to pass.In the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed my anxiety has doubled, no, scratch that, it’s tripled without him.

I often wonder how I was so blind to the fact that I was an alcoholic. Looking back, all of the signs were there.My life was out of control; once I had my first drink of the day, I had little-to-no control over the amount I drank. All bets were off. And when I truly wanted to stop drinking, I couldn’t.The tricky part there is that I thought I had a choice in it all.

Finding balance can be difficult for anybody. But balance in recovery is even more difficult because you lacked balance for so long while in the throes of your addiction. A common emotion after recovery is to feel a void where the alcohol used to be. You have newfound time, and new hobbies can be exciting. But the key to lasting recovery is balance.

Throughout high school and college, I was the girl who always had a serious boyfriend.I’ve been in love two times in my life. Actually, that’s a lie…three times. But only two of those were with men…the other was with alcohol.I was introduced to alcohol years before things got serious between us.

A new friend has just invited my family to an event where drinking will be the main activity.Here we go again. Do I respond with:A. “My parents don’t drink.”B. “My parents are recovering alcoholics.”C. Pretend I didn’t hear them and hope they get distracted.The debate begins almost immediately in my head.

A little over three years ago I found myself checking into a 28-day treatment facility for alcoholism, a couple hours away from my hometown in North Carolina. I called and had three days to get ready, until a bed was going to be available for me. The preparation was reminiscent of getting ready for summer camp when I was a little girl.

You’re an author.No, really. You are!Every day you’re writing the story of your life. And it’s just like a book.Think of it this way:When you pick up a book, the only things you know for certain is that there is a beginning and an end. In between those two fixed points are chapters, and each chapter contributes to the book’s plot.

My name is Mimi Jones and I am the adult child of alcoholic parents.In my life, “keeping up with the Jones’,” means something entirely different.From the outside, it would seem that I had an idyllic childhood. I grew up in a middle-class family in Southern California. My parents both worked hard to provide us with opportunities to travel, experience the arts, and attend private schools.

I’m sure you’ve heard, over and over, that addiction is selfish. Well I’ve got news for you: so is recovery. In fact, recovery is the most selfish thing you can be involved in other than an addiction.But there’s a big difference. You’re not lacking consideration for others in recovery like you were in addiction.

My story isn’t special. My story isn’t unique. Unfortunately, my story is a common one. And today, I consider myself lucky to be able to share my story—to even have a story. You see, part of my story is my brother’s story, which is a story that is only told through mine because it ended with his death on April 22, 2012 from a prescription drug overdose.