i pretty much just isolated myself for like 3 weeks. not even daring to go on line.
after that i just talked about it with all my family and friends and people on line. i sent my doctor a thank card after a few months. and whenever i meet new friends i always tell them about it. even my employer.
i guess just keeping it out in the open and real has been my therapy.
I used this forum, therapy and my friends and family. I was blessed to find such wonderful people here who could relate and received a ton of help and support. My family was fabulous too. I'm still going to therapy every couple weeks now. It's been a great choice for me.
Typically, I dont fit any of your molds......I used the computer extensively, I also leaned on my Pastors ear and would highly recommend that approach. Also some friends that are MD's and LCSW's - - - they dont like to work with friends, but I just used them as a sounding board for information to take to other forums and venues. Whatever method it takes is what you should use .... but going it totally alone is very hard.
absolutely that is how i have stayed clean this long without relapsing I tried it at first with the forum only i relapsed after 6 months ..With care it has been 600+days and I keep on going .
Family & this forum is what worked for me. When times were tough, I would read other's stories and realized that w/e I was going thru, someone else had experienced much worse. By understanding their triumphs & tragedies, I learned about my own condition (in an analytical way) and dissected each feeling, experience, habit, trigger, etc to it's barest level. Now, if I have a whiff of a trigger, I immediately know what it is and dismiss the impulse; simple now.
Worked well now for over 15 months so feel good about that.
Thx to everyone on this forum who contributes.
i use this forum constantly and google everything i can about addiction. i guess it worked for me cos i m 10 months clean today. i could not have done it without med help buddies support....maria :)
I did try N/A in the past, but just for a short time. I have used mainly MH and it has worked for me, although for many it's not enough. I do think it's very important to have some time of support group. If I start forgetting that I am an addict and have it beat then I will fail, so coming here is a reminder this is a fight for life, but the fight has gotten so much easier now:).
I picked "this forum only" as I posted here almost every day the first month or two. The support, suggestions and understanding I get here is unbelievable. As I've continued in my recovery and realized how much more there is to it than simply stopping the pills, I have really worked on getting to the heart of why I needed those pills in the first place. I see a therapist (not specifically for substance abuse, but she knows everything about my prior use), and I feel I am really making progress. I had a giant case of denial about a lot of things....a lot of pent up emotions and fear and anger. Now that I've found ways to let it out, I don't feel the need to numb up anymore.
I came on site last Oct. It was interesting and so I stayed.I also was preparing for a season with fibro. and knew I wouldn't be getting out as much.So what I got from here and the handful of friends carried me through the winter.
I got clean in NA and yet I'll be the first one to tell you that paths to recovery from active addiction are many.
I continue to attend meetings and social functions @ na so I can carry the message to the new commer, like we do on here.......Debra