Yesterday’s I reached 700 Consecutive Days Clean from All Hard Drugs Tonight I reached 23 Consecutive Months Clean from All Hard Drugs #wedorecover I remember Those nights of addiction and homelessness are etched in my memory - the cold, the hunger, the thirst, and the overwhelming sense of loneliness. With little money and no one to turn to, I was consumed by anxiety and desperation, seeking escape through substance abuse, but ultimately forced to face the harsh reality of my situation. It’s a constant reminder of everything I could lose in a second I lost so so much to my addiction and day by day not only am I still clean but I’m healing the scars that lead to my use in the first place, I slowly began to rebuild my life, even securing a cozy apartment near the hospital in February 2023. Still, I couldn't shake off my demons, and my addiction led me down a path of bingeing with fake friends on the 17th of Dec exactly a month and 2 days after my last serious overdose where I had to be saved by two doses of NARCAN I took my last drug and decided to try get clean before i ended up dying in my addiction at first I got through withdrawal one day at a time When I overdosed and decided to seek help, I lost the people I thought were my friends. However, I realized they were only using me for their own purposes. In the end, I gained something much more valuable – my sobriety and a chance to start anew. at first I doubted how I could function properly knowing I couldn’t pick up anymore I started journaling more as I made it thru my firsts in soberity and made the move from my one-bedroom apartment to a smaller townhouse down the road on May 31st, 2024. This transition occurred during a difficult time, as I had lost a close cousin just a week or so prior. To deal with my emotions, I began creating small routines that didn't involve substance use and focused on distracting myself from urges. I also started going for more walks to the park and bike rides as a coping mechanism. Eight months into my recovery, I was still facing a tough battle against cravings and PAWS withdrawals. Despite the challenges, I was still determined to stay on track and make progress, no matter how slow. I didn’t start posting much about my soberity til I made it to a year clean I’ll learned a lot about myself since getting clean and sober at a year of recovery I started to have a few self improvement realizations surrounding my drug craving getting to be lessened I could think clearer make clearer choices and manage to control my emotions better and in my selfharm recovery The scars on my arms are now white and less noticeable, which is an odd but welcome sign of healing it continues to fade in August of 2025 at around 19 months clean I started attending NA meetings and got introduced to the Narcotics Anonymous book and got a sponsor in Sept maintaining recovery is more then staying away from just the drugs it’s about learning new ways of living so your past doesn’t drag you back down to hell attending meetings and talking to other addicts in recovery helped a lot to keep the urges down I started to feel more comfortable living in my own skin not having drugs in my system to function I met people who really understood and wanted to see me change for the better I’ve been attending NA for a conservative 4 months now next month I’ll get my 2 years chip were not bad people getting well but hurt people finding healing Don’t judge an addict instead ask where’s the pain your trying to escape maybe you’ll see why addicts will do anything to escape their own reality. You don't just "treat addiction." You end up treating anxiety, depression, BPD, CPTSD, loneliness, rage, despair, toxic secrets, regret, undiagnosed head trauma, untreated ADHD.Then you realize addiction is often someone's best attempt to cope when they don't see other options we all hurt but we don’t have to deal with it through digging a hole into our addiction if only we remember to ask for help we can get better one day at a time The battle to resist the urges of addiction relapse can be very intense, and it often feels like torture. Especially with unknown or unexpected triggers but Recovery isn't a single achievement; it's a daily choice to fight addiction and keep my demons at bay. Maintaining my sobriety and recovery is a constant reminder that if I slip I could lose not only l material items but my health and in the end I could lose my life but it's a battle I must face every day even when it’s hard and giving up feels easier to do this fight is keeping me alive and well for those around me and I will continue to fight everyday to keep my sobriety, I'm trying my best hour by hour and day by day to stay for myself and those who love me I Recover Out Loud Because I Almost Died In Silence and I Won’t Let The Drugs Take Me Away We Do Recover We Do Get Clean We Do Get Yesterday’s I reached 700 Consecutive Days Clean from All Hard Drugs Tonight I reached 23 Consecutive Months Clean from All Hard Drugs #wedorecover I remember Those nights of addiction and homelessness are etched in my memory - the cold, the hunger, the thirst, and the overwhelming sense of loneliness. With little money and no one to turn to, I was consumed by anxiety and desperation, seeking escape through substance abuse, but ultimately forced to face the harsh reality of my situation. It’s a constant reminder of everything I could lose in a second I lost so so much to my addiction and day by day not only am I still clean but I’m healing the scars that lead to my use in the first place, I slowly began to rebuild my life, even securing a cozy apartment near the hospital in February 2023. Still, I couldn't shake off my demons, and my addiction led me down a path of bingeing with fake friends on the 17th of Dec exactly a month and 2 days after my last serious overdose where I had to be saved by two doses of NARCAN I took my last drug and decided to try get clean before i ended up dying in my addiction at first I got through withdrawal one day at a time When I overdosed and decided to seek help, I lost the people I thought were my friends. However, I realized they were only using me for their own purposes. In the end, I gained something much more valuable – my sobriety and a chance to start anew. at first I doubted how I could function properly knowing I couldn’t pick up anymore I started journaling more as I made it thru my firsts in soberity and made the move from my one-bedroom apartment to a smaller townhouse down the road on May 31st, 2024. This transition occurred during a difficult time, as I had lost a close cousin just a week or so prior. To deal with my emotions, I began creating small routines that didn't involve substance use and focused on distracting myself from urges. I also started going for more walks to the park and bike rides as a coping mechanism. Eight months into my recovery, I was still facing a tough battle against cravings and PAWS withdrawals. Despite the challenges, I was still determined to stay on track and make progress, no matter how slow. I didn’t start posting much about my soberity til I made it to a year clean I’ll learned a lot about myself since getting clean and sober at a year of recovery I started to have a few self improvement realizations surrounding my drug craving getting to be lessened I could think clearer make clearer choices and manage to control my emotions better and in my selfharm recovery The scars on my arms are now white and less noticeable, which is an odd but welcome sign of healing it continues to fade in August of 2025 at around 19 months clean I started attending NA meetings and got introduced to the Narcotics Anonymous book and got a sponsor in Sept maintaining recovery is more then staying away from just the drugs it’s about learning new ways of living so your past doesn’t drag you back down to hell attending meetings and talking to other addicts in recovery helped a lot to keep the urges down I started to feel more comfortable living in my own skin not having drugs in my system to function I met people who really understood and wanted to see me change for the better I’ve been attending NA for a conservative 4 months now next month I’ll get my 2 years chip were not bad people getting well but hurt people finding healing Don’t judge an addict instead ask where’s the pain your trying to escape maybe you’ll see why addicts will do anything to escape their own reality. You don't just "treat addiction." You end up treating anxiety, depression, BPD, CPTSD, loneliness, rage, despair, toxic secrets, regret, undiagnosed head trauma, untreated ADHD.Then you realize addiction is often someone's best attempt to cope when they don't see other options we all hurt but we don’t have to deal with it through digging a hole into our addiction if only we remember to ask for help we can get better one day at a time The battle to resist the urges of addiction relapse can be very intense, and it often feels like torture. Especially with unknown or unexpected triggers but Recovery isn't a single achievement; it's a daily choice to fight addiction and keep my demons at bay. Maintaining my sobriety and recovery is a constant reminder that if I slip I could lose not only l material items but my health and in the end I could lose my life but it's a battle I must face every day even when it’s hard and giving up feels easier to do this fight is keeping me alive and well for those around me and I will continue to fight everyday to keep my sobriety, I'm trying my best hour by hour and day by day to stay for myself and those who love me I Recover Out Loud Because I Almost Died In Silence and I Won’t Let The Drugs Take Me Away We Do Recover We Do Get Clean We Do Get Sober There Is A Life After Addiction One Day At A Time Everyday For One More Day 23 Months Clean redited version There Is A Life After Addiction One Day At A Time Everyday For One More Day 23 Months Clean redited version

It only takes ONE bad experience in your life to slip into ADDICTION. ONE death, breakup, failure, injury, unemployment, home loss etc. So stop judging others who are trying to overcome addiction and mental illness, because that could be You tomorrow.

Hey friends, I owe you an apology and an explanation. I've been MIA, and that's not who I want to be for this community. Here's the truth: some weeks we're crushing it, and some weeks we're just surviving. I got caught up in the surviving part and let the very thing that keeps me grounded - this community - fall to the side. But here's what I know: showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at all. And that's exactly what Keep Going means. So I'm back. Coffee's brewing at 7 AM, bracelets are being made, and I'm recommitting to being here - not perfectly, but consistently. Let's keep going. Together.

Looking back, it's hard to believe it's been 12 months since I celebrated 7 months of sobriety. Today, at 9 pm, I'll have reached 19 months without alcohol. The journey has been long and challenging, but I'm determined to see it through. I deserve to know what it's like to live life on my own terms, to not give up on myself.

Today while I was talking to one of my friends she called me an attention seeker because I was having a craving for alcohol which I I haven’t drank in a while and she thought I was doing it for attention I then explain how getting paid today is a trigger for me seeing my son who passed shpula tirned 47 months old today and i was grtting intense cravings she said “you gotta stop telling people you wanna buy alcohol. Why would you buy alcohol when you’re 19 months sober?” Which was a valid question I then said to her “No I’m not an attention seeker thanks you have no idea how hard to it is to stay clean nor how hard it is to stay sober don’t come at me saying I’m a attention seeking I’m doing my darnest to stay alive in a mind that wants to die” she said “Still we both know ur not gonna drink so stop trying to worry people it’s not hard not to drink I do it every day just smoke weed and cigarettes” then I said “well you’re not an addict I am” she replied with “neither are you hence why you don’t drink you’re an ex addict now” and that was when I realize she wasn’t gonna get the point that cravings are cravings and they don’t need validation for them to happen I also realize she wasn’t going to understand why I was coming from being an addict because she didn’t understand that I was still an addict even though I didn’t use or drink and I told her “she was pissing me off And I couldn’t cope I was gonna remove myself instead of explaining it to someone who clearly didn’t get it” she said “what I’m pissing you off cause I told you not to drink” I said “ no you just don’t understand addiction and how things work for us” I didn’t have the energy to explain it to her that addiction doesn’t discriminate and neither does Recovery but even in even recovery you’re still an addict you’re just Recovering then I sent the quote “for most of us sobriety is not a one and done decision it is one we have to make over and over again” she then replied saying “ buy the alcohol then if you want you’re old enough but you won’t be ruining anyone’s life but your own” I said ”it’s not the point it’s a craving” she said “so fight it your strong just don’t drink it’s your choice make the right one don’t you have AA support?” I said idk if there is AA support in town she suggested buying myself a gift so I said I might try that she ended the convo saying “my dad was an alcoholic and it killed him” I replied “my dads an alcoholic too and it might kill him as well” then she said good night her ending the conversation like that gave me a better understanding of why she was acting the way she was when she was criticizing my addiction and Recovery weak points i’ve come to the realization that most likely if she doesn’t understand addiction because she hasn’t been to it and it’s probably best jusl disengage conversations about Recovery with her because she doesn’t understand and would probably be the best of the block her for the hurtful criticism about my recovery ❤️‍🩹