Phew! I made it back(to the blog that is). I got to spend some time flexing my acting skills with the guys this afternoon(I am really bad) and doing a photo shoot (I'm not much better of a model than I am an actor...). After all that fun, which really isn't that much work for us(more my boss who's trying to make us look as good as possible, good luck man..), I am actually kind of whipped. Tired I mean...But, I set a goal that I was going to blog every day this week, and I'm excited about that(I promise), so here I am.
I really wanted to mention something a bit on the serious side. Something that I was going to use as an aid with our faith-based recovery meetings on Saturday mornings, The Spirit of Recovery. This something is called "The Five Pillars of Recovery from Trauma and Addiction". I am bringing it up here because it's an amazing system and something I realized that I unknowingly used in my own journey out of addiction and into long-term recovery. I found it while putting the Spirit of Recovery group together. Thank you, Jennifer!
But, that group, being faith-based, is something we like to call "Spirit-led". As in the Holy Spirit, the Ruach Ha'Qodesh, or the Spirit of God Himself. Or Herself, I personally feel He's above gender's so, whatever floats your boat. Use Higher Power or something. Moving on. Anyways, when we let Holy Spirit take the reigns, He does, goes and takes us wherever we really need to as a collective. So far, as a group, it's been the ti..err, amazing. Yeah, that's what I meant. :) When He shows up and does his thing, the stuff I have planned goes out the window sometimes, which is great! All present, at the meeting, would much rather have the Creator of the universe in the room with us than some structured talk put together by some cut-rate shepherd of men(Hey man...I try) that thinks he's funny(I'll do a poll someday to find out if I really am, I don't think I can handle the criticism right now. I'm joking...but really, please be nice, lol).
"All present would much rather have the Creator of the universe in the room with us"
As you can see, I am a ramblin' man. So, back on track here. Pillars. And I probably will drop the guys at the meeting a link to check this out, or eventually slide it in there sideways if I can(no comments out of you Corey..), because it really is a great concept. If you're looking for ways out of a bad situation(addiction/substance use disorder, etc.) and you've happened across this blog..first, I am dearly sorry. Lol. But second, take a second to look up the Pillars(The Five Pillars of Recovery from Trauma and Addiction written by Jennifer Storm, such a cool name. Thank you for these Jennifer. Sincerely).
Also, just as a warning. You are going to get quite a bit of spirituality if you stick around here. Not traditional religion, but what I've heard called and choose to call "true spirituality". Ok, no more rabbit trails.
The Five Pillars of Recovery from Trauma and Addiction is a system put together by someone just like you(well maybe you) and me that needed freedom from addiction. They realized that the root of their "issue" came from their mental health which had been damaged and never healed properly. That was, probably, the most significant part of me finding long-term recovery. Realizing there was a root to my "issue" and finally having a system of people willing to, basically, hold my hand while navigating out of that "issue" until I could eventually take the reigns myself. If you have any direct questions please visit 217recovery.com/mitchell or email me at mitchell@217recovery.com. I am always up to start a conversation about any of this stuff.
I am going to briefly run through the pillars so you can make your own decision on if this was just a wasted rant or something that might actually interest you. If it does interest you, visit jenniferstorm.com and you can absorb the entire concept. They really aren't your grandad's 12-step program. No hate, that pathway just didn't work for me. So away we go..
Pillar number 1, maintaining rigorous honesty. Rigorous is an understatement. If you've ever successfully entered long-term addiction with any kind of friends or family still by your side, you'll understand why this is number one and how difficult it really is when dealing with a disorder that hijacks your morals and gets you to do and say absolutely anything it can to get you to feed it. It's not easy, especially as early as we are in the process. But for-the-entire-spectrum-of-love from our Adonai and Creator, IT. IS. WORTH. IT.
Pillar number 2, expose your secrets. If you have friends and family members that are still holding on after all that you've put them through..it's time to build back some trust. It's not easy(understatement number 2) and some of them may have even said that they'll never trust you again. If you were like me you did some pretty devious and shitty things to people you considered "close" to you. I will tell you that after almost 2 1/2 years in successful recovery, if they're still there, in your energy field(close emotionally anyway), they can and will, trust you again. This is the very beginning of your chance to get it back. It looks like a big hill/mountain to climb, just do the next right thing, reach that next stepping stone, and maybe this is your turn to get 2 1/2 years down the road and be able to actually feel(like me :D) what it's like to have happy and healthy relationships with these people again. If they're still there, in any way, it's possible.
"just do the next right thing, reach that next stepping stone"
Pillar number 3, Let go. This is where the healing inside of you starts. I'm sure you've heard the term "let go"(please don't sing the disney song..)in some capacity before so I'm not going to beat you up with it(you've made it this far with me today and I appreciate that more than you know). If you'd like a more detailed explanation on this one, then hit the link up there or email. Easy peasy.
Pillar number 4, remember you're not alone. Find a community, you were put together to be a part of a group in one way or another. Healing may need to set in for your old friends and family to really be a big part of this. But, find a church, get a sponsor, get a peer recovery coach(this helped me so much). Churches can be a tough one because not all of them are loving and open enough for people like us to be at home in them. But there are some out there made up of people JUST like us with the same needs and wants. Meetings can be a great place to get a sense of community and make connections and who knows, maybe the 12 step is for you? There are other groups and meetings popping up now that focus on other pathways, such as the Spirit of Recovery. Which brings me to my last example, and who's always there for me when no one else can be. The Creator of the universe, my Heavenly Father, Higher Power(we already went over the name thing, lol) He's always there(no really, He is). You just need to learn how to see, hear and feel Him. The best part is He wants you to grow closer to Him. Or Her. You know what I mean.
Pillar number 5, know you matter. No really, I mean it. You really do. I know very well that a lot of you that just read this won't believe me. If you've gotten this far, please don't run away yet. There's a reason this is the last one. It typically doesn't set in until you've poured a lot of time, effort, and healing into this process. I'm not spilling the beans on how much because regardless of the amount, it's so worth it that I cannot emphasize how much I mean this. You don't get to put up with me for this long and get scared away now. ;)
Phew, man. Or lady. Hell, you know what I mean. I pulled my keyboard up at the beginning of this with an empty head and wondered how I was going to meet my goal today(please see start of blog, lol). But here we are and I can feel all these words buzzing around your head..maybe it's mine.. Anyways, I'm going to proofread this heart-pouring and head to a meeting with my friends at Fresh Winds Christian Community. I really hope someone enjoyed this, I know I did. Please check out the links I've added in here, when you have time, I think you'll enjoy them as much as I do. Thank you for hanging out with me here. I'll see you next time, tomorrow sounds good.
Bye!
Comments