Posted in: addiction counseling blog, addiction recovery for men, live life drug free, men in recovery, overcoming obstacles to recovery, parents of recovering addicts
For a lot of our clients this holiday season will be their first sober Christmas and New Years, which brings about a lot of excitement and gratitude for their new lives. They will know what it feels like to truly enjoy giving instead of receiving. After all, there is no better gift they could give to their families than the gift of sobriety. They might even discover that a season they used to dread is not only enjoyable but something they will look forward to in the future.
However, for some of our clients (and recovering alcoholics and addicts in general for that matter), celebrating this holiday season sober with family and friends isn’t an exciting prospect, its downright scary. What is one to do if the family drinks and drugs the way he used to before he got sober? What if he’s the only one there not drinking? What if his alcoholic father picks a fight with him AGAIN? Is it possible to stay sober through this stuff?
Any recovering person would tell you the answer to that question is an emphatic “yes”! It is not only possible, it is a guarantee as long as the recovering alcoholic/addict is willing to stay sober and willing to take the suggestions of his fellow recovering alcoholics and addicts.
For our clients, we require a plan in writing before leaving to spend time with their families. If that plan does not include talking to their sponsor and other recovering folks while away, they cannot go. If the plan does not include attending 12-step meetings, they cannot go. If that plan does not include a willingness to go to any length to stay sober, they cannot go. We have found the best solution to staying sober during these “firsts” is a solid plan that is laid out ahead of time mapping hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute. It’s a solution that works for our clients and has worked for many recovering alcoholics and addicts.
Here’s hoping everyone has a sober, safe, and happy holiday!
Posted in: addiction blog, addiction counseling blog, addiction recovery meditations, today's gift, touchstones daily meditations
Life is change … Growth is optional… Choose wisely…
—Karen Kaiser Clark
We can certainly count on change. We become fathers, our children become more independent, we make new friends, and other friends move away. When a man clings too tightly to the status quo or tries to control the direction of change, he is bound to be disappointed. We are like skiers on a mountain. We must continue down the slope. We can vary our speed somewhat, but if we stop for too long we will get cold or hungry; if we ski too fast, we may have a serious fall. Part of the pleasure is in not being able to control or predict every circumstance we will meet.
We don’t control which loved ones come into our lives and which ones go or whether we become ill or stay healthy. We don’t control life’s opportunities. We can control how we choose to respond to these transitions. Whatever happens can be used for growth and we can commit ourselves to use all experiences that way.
Today, I will not try to control change but will choose to use whatever happens for growth.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
Posted in: addiction blog, addiction counseling, addiction counseling blog, addiction recovery for men, addiction treatment professionals, atlanta treatment centers, certified addiction counselors, excellence in addiction counseling, men in recovery, modern addiction recovery, purple residential treatment, reinvent addiction recovery, residential addiction treatment
Click here to view our latest press release on restructuring our recovery program.
Click here to see our most recent press release.
As the new administrative assistant of Purple Inc., a long-time supporter of all things Purple, and the wife of one of the owners, I have taken on the responsibility of keeping up with this blog. I love Purple for several reasons:
- Most importantly, we help the most important group of people in the world (that’s my opinion, of course)-alcoholics and addicts! I personally believe if all the alcoholics and addicts in the world got sober at one time, there would be world domination. Seriously, the smartest most intuitive people I know are alcoholics and addicts. So be nice to your neighborhood alkie….
- Two of my most favoritest men own the facility-my amazing jedi husband, Brett and my sweet sweet father-in-law, Joel.
- Purple now provides my pay check.
I think that about sums it up. The purpose of this blog is, well…..we’re not really sure. Possibly to entertain the light-hearted side of addiction, possibly to educate on the not so light-hearted side of addiction, or possibly to reach someone who needs help. More likely, a combination of all three. Happy Reading!
-Andrea Bagley