Doing the Right Thing in Your Substance Abuse Program
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Doing the Right Thing in Your Substance Abuse Program
January 25, 2013
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 May, 2013 13:45 My father gave me some of the best advice I have ever received. He told me that messing up is no excuse to keep messing up. He told me that no matter what, as long as I do the next right thing, my situation will get better. And while my father and I haven’t always gotten along or seen eye-to-eye on things, I have to give him credit. He took me in and raised me as if I were his own flesh and blood and continues to make sacrifices to help me to this day. This piece of advice he gave me has served me well for many years. I haven’t always practiced it, but when I have, it’s always proved to be true. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially when it involves taking responsibility for a mistake or owning up to something you would have otherwise gotten away with, but it’s always worth doing. “People make mistakes all the time, it’s how we learn.” Improving Quality of Life Unfortunately once a mistake is made, all too often people use it as an excuse keep making mistakes and not improve their lives or situations. Another piece of wisdom my father gave me is “It’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up.” My father was a hard man for me to grow up with. He was a great father, but he was very much a “Type A Personality”. I am very much not a Type A. We frequently fought about everything. It must have been a nightmare for my mother and younger brother, and for that I am sorry. I spent all of my life doing the wrong thing and just not getting up when I fell. I have a lot to make up for but the only way for me to do that is follow the advice he gave me and live well. They have all forgiven me, but I haven’t forgiven myself. Honestly, I’m not sure that I can or that I want to. Sobering Ideas In Sobriety, I do my best to follow his advice because it has never served me wrong. It’s easy to say that, but it’s a different story when it comes time to practice it. It’s so much easier to just sink back to where I was. Living my life, well not really living it, in such a way that no one depends on me and I don’t need to worry what people think because I already know they think I’m scum. Just making mistake after mistake, never trying to change, never putting forth any effort, not caring what anyone thinks, that life is so easy to fall into. It’s easy because it requires nothing to return to. All you have to do is become passive and your life will sink to that point. Passivity is an all too easy trap to fall into and it’s deceptive in its lethality. I am fortunate that I am in contact with a group of people who will tell me when I am falling back and help me stay out of the traps.
January 25, 2013
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 May, 2013 13:45 My father gave me some of the best advice I have ever received. He told me that messing up is no excuse to keep messing up. He told me that no matter what, as long as I do the next right thing, my situation will get better. And while my father and I haven’t always gotten along or seen eye-to-eye on things, I have to give him credit. He took me in and raised me as if I were his own flesh and blood and continues to make sacrifices to help me to this day. This piece of advice he gave me has served me well for many years. I haven’t always practiced it, but when I have, it’s always proved to be true. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially when it involves taking responsibility for a mistake or owning up to something you would have otherwise gotten away with, but it’s always worth doing. “People make mistakes all the time, it’s how we learn.” Improving Quality of Life Unfortunately once a mistake is made, all too often people use it as an excuse keep making mistakes and not improve their lives or situations. Another piece of wisdom my father gave me is “It’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up.” My father was a hard man for me to grow up with. He was a great father, but he was very much a “Type A Personality”. I am very much not a Type A. We frequently fought about everything. It must have been a nightmare for my mother and younger brother, and for that I am sorry. I spent all of my life doing the wrong thing and just not getting up when I fell. I have a lot to make up for but the only way for me to do that is follow the advice he gave me and live well. They have all forgiven me, but I haven’t forgiven myself. Honestly, I’m not sure that I can or that I want to. Sobering Ideas In Sobriety, I do my best to follow his advice because it has never served me wrong. It’s easy to say that, but it’s a different story when it comes time to practice it. It’s so much easier to just sink back to where I was. Living my life, well not really living it, in such a way that no one depends on me and I don’t need to worry what people think because I already know they think I’m scum. Just making mistake after mistake, never trying to change, never putting forth any effort, not caring what anyone thinks, that life is so easy to fall into. It’s easy because it requires nothing to return to. All you have to do is become passive and your life will sink to that point. Passivity is an all too easy trap to fall into and it’s deceptive in its lethality. I am fortunate that I am in contact with a group of people who will tell me when I am falling back and help me stay out of the traps.
