You can't change the past, you aren't promised tomorrow so lets just get through today.
The new year brings with it resolutions. People of all walks of life use this time to set goals from the simple to the seemingly impossible. If you are here reading this you are probably thinking of the impossible but you are not alone. No matter where you are in your journey of recovery I think it is important to set both short term and long term goals. You can't change yesterday, tomorrow may never come so set your focus on today. If your struggles make you wonder how you will get through the day just worry about getting through the next hour, minute or even 30 seconds.
It seems a lot of people don't succeed in the recovery process because their mind isn't focused on the present time and place they are in. They are thinking about all the stuff they have messed up or are too busy wondering how they are ever going to make it 30 days let alone making it 30 years. Yes you do need to make amends for a path of destruction you may have left in your wake not only to those around you but also to yourself. The demons inside you feed off how you view yourself and it won't matter if everyone around you that is supporting you can forgive you if you can't forgive yourself. You have to let go of those weights inside of you that are burdening you.
Matthew 11:28 says: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
It doesn't matter if you believe in Jesus or not the statement made there holds true. Unless you take the burdens of guilt, shame, worthlessness and any other emotions you are beating yourself up with and put them down or as I choose to because I do believe in Jesus let him have your burdens they are going to be a controlling force battling against you. It will be hard enough fighting physical and mental urges regardless of your addiction. You don't need to stack the deck even more against you with those extra weights.
I have a friend who knew DJ AM. I had chatted with him briefly a couple times on aol messenger trying to get him to let me build his website. When I lived in Vegas my friend came up for a wedding and DJ AM was at the Hard Rock doing his thing so we went and I got to meet him. He was in the dj booth working so we pretty much went there my buddy said hi introduced me I shook his hand then he went back to work and I never saw him in person again. He was sober for 11 years before he passed away and all I can think about was what he must have been dealing with inside. Was he having survivors guilt from the plane crash he was in? Did he think life is too short to be sober? Did he look at the fact that he had been sober for 11 years and think “I am having a hard time so I want to chase this away with drugs but in a few months I can quite again and go another 11+ years”. There are many celebrities that pass away because of their addictions but because I know someone who had known him for over 10 years I wonder what conversation I could have had with him if I had the opportunity. We look up to people like that thinking they have it easy because they have money but they have problems just like us. They have addictions just like us.
This site is here for us all to come together and help each other. Just because you may be on day one today doesn't mean you can't be a friend and encourage someone on day 12,465. I don't drink or do drugs it has never appealed to me so I can not relate to what it feels like between that next drink or high. What I can relate to is emptiness created from trying to see something to fill that hole inside you. Thinking money would make my problems go away but it never seemed like enough. I am not perfect, when I look at my addiction to money my perspective on life has changed to the point that money isn't important to me anymore but I struggle with other impulses. If the thought of fighting your addictions are scary and you don't t think you can commit to a new years resolution regarding them lets just start with coming here. We have some new things planned for heart support like getting some live support again, having a counselor that can answer your emails, and some video blogging. So to start the new year try to make it a habit to come here and see if we have anything new going on for that day, week or month.
To close this out and get some inspiration dealing with the verse I posted go check out this video testimony from Brian “Head” Welch formerly of the band Korn and an ex meth user.
http://iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Brian_Welch/
