by Sally Rosa | May 9, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Recovery
Written By: Anjelica Galante
Is Homelessness a Consequence of Our Actions?
We suffer many consequences during active addiction to drugs and alcohol. We lose lose our spirituality, our friends, our families, our material possessions, our minds, our morals, our homes, and so much more. After pushing everyone and everything away, we may find ourselves sleeping on the street, desperate for one more high. This vicious cycle can go on for days, months, even years. In the case of Eric, it was years and years.
A Nice and Respectable Homeless Man
Eric was called a “nice and respectable homeless man,” by the people in his Virginia neighborhood. Most of us addicts are nice a respectable! We just get dragged down to hell because of our so called “solution,” drugs and booze. Most people don’t understand that addicts are nice, smart, and determined people. If we’re able to break the cycle of active addiction, we can get back on our feet and live a life beyond anyone’s wildest dreams! Some people turn to addiction treatment to get well. Other people move or seek transitional housing. In this case, Eric got pranked into sobriety! How does that happen? Well, it only takes one good Samaritan to change someone’s life.
He Rigged the Lottery
A local man named Rahat knew Eric. Rahat would see Eric day after day and the two struck up an unlikely friendship. Rahat wanted to do something nice for Eric, so he hatched a plan. One day, he approached Eric on the street. “I don’t have any cash, but I do have this winning lottery ticket. I’m not sure how much I won, but you can cash it and keep whatever it is.”
Eric cashed the ticket, found out he won $1,000, and immediately burst into tears of gratitude. He insisted that Rahat share the money. Since that day, Rahat and Eric have been close friends. Rahat soon started a campaign to raise money for Eric. Once the video of Eric cashing in the lottery ticket hit the internet, it went viral. Rahat was able to raise over $40,000 in under twenty days! He bought Eric a beautiful home, new clothes, supplies, electronics, furniture, and more!
Rahat tricked Eric into thinking they were going out to dinner to celebrate Eric getting a job. Rahat took Eric to his house and, once they were inside, revealed to Eric that it was actually his house now! Eric, in disbelief, was speechless and grateful from the very bottom of his heart and soul.
Eric Isn’t Homeless Anymore
Today, Eric isn’t homeless any longer. He’s clean cut, hardworking, employed, sober, and living everyday to the fullest. He has a roof over his head and food in his stomach.
This inspirational story touched the hearts of thousands of people across the world, including mine. Now, I’m not saying that you should wait around to win the lottery while going through tough times in your life. I am trying to raise awareness about the homeless and addiction. Us addicts have heart, gratitude, perseverance, determination, and survival skills!
The Journey to Recovery
Everyone has their own journey, their own success story, their own unique tale of pulling themselves from hell, but we ALL need a little push to get there. Most of the time, it isn’t until another human being opens our eyes that we see what we’re really work. Once we realize the value of our life, a fire’s started that can’t be extinguished.
If you’re a woman struggling with addiction and don’t know how to end the cycle of pain, we’re here to help. We’re here to give you that push, to make you realize you’re self worth, to show you there’s a better way. We’re here to guide you through the trauma, to love you until you learn to love yourself.
For more information Call 844-SOBER-WOMEN.
by A Women in Sobriety | May 1, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Benefits of Sobriety
Would I Hire a Women in Recovery?
When you consider hiring a recovering addict or alcoholic, there are going to be concerns. Oh, are there going to be concerns!
Is she reliable? Am I putting anyone in danger? Don’t addicts steal? What if the stress becomes too much? What if she relapses? Will it be my fault?
These are certainly legitimate concerns, but there’s only one make-it-or-break-it question – Do the benefits of hiring a woman in recovery outweigh the risks?
Well, do they?
In my experience, the answer is a resounding yes! My experience is that women who’ve gone to a women’s treatment center understand the magnitude of second (and maybe third) chances. This is true of everyone in recovery, really.
Women in recovery know their sobriety may be considered a risk. They’ve already worked harder than most other applications to reach the point where they’re applying for a job! They know the odds might be slim. So when they DO get a job, they tend to work harder. They take extra care to be more reliable. They work a program of recovery which places a premium on honesty, hard work, and accountability. They have an appreciation for the job which goes well beyond a paycheck!
I’ve found that recovering women take more pride in their work. They value their accomplishments. They’ve worked incredibly hard to even be in a position to become employable.
Recovering alcoholics understand accountability. When mistakes are made, and they always are!, recovering women know how to admit and accept fault. They’ll work immediately and tirelessly to right any wrongs.
Yet another benefit of hiring those in sobriety is their commitment. Many recovering alcoholics put their work and careers ahead of their social lives (yeah, we’re weird like that!). Wile other employees are rushing to happy house, those in recovery have different priorities. Of course, we’re only human and are happy to leave at the end of the workday. Getting to a meeting is much higher on the list than hanging out at a local bar. You can be fairly certain they won’t be trudging into work late and hungover!
Overall, I’d say the benefits of hiring those in recovery far outweigh that possible risks. Besides, I’ve worked with, and likely hired, plenty of lying, cheating, unreliable criminals who weren’t addicts!
by Sally Rosa | Jan 20, 2014 | 12 Steps, Addiction Articles
The Invaluable Task of Making Amends
When I think about the ninth step, I think about god. I can’t help it! During the ninth step is when god came to me. It says in the Big Book that god comes to some slowly and to some all at once. I was blessed to have a white-light experience. It happened when I took a trip home, to make amends.
I’ll get to the good stuff soon, but first let me tell you a little about myself.
My Story
I was raised by a very loving and religious family. God was a huge part of my life, until I turned fourteen. Around that time I consciously turned my back on the belief system I was raised with. Why?, you ask. I met a boy.
He lived in a trailer park, rode a motorcycle, and had bad written all over him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I mention this bad boy because he’s a huge part of my journey AND a huge part of my ninth step.
I drank for the first time when I was sixteen. I didn’t have that much talked about “I’ve arrived” feeling. I did drink three times as much as everyone else, though. I acted like an idiot, like really an idiot. I ended up locked in a basement, by myself. This was a theme of my drinking career, going overboard. I’d always drink more, do more, need more than everyone else. Back at sixteen though? Back then, we had fun.
By the time I was eighteen, that bad boy? He put me in the hospital. This was the first time I’d been betrayed by one of my solutions. I used going to the ER as an excuse to drink harder and more often. Somewhere around this time is when I crossed that invisible line. That line you can’t EVER uncross.
Now drinking wasn’t a luxury, but a necessity. I finally left the bad boy, but not for any positive reason. He got in the way of my drinking! I have to laugh when I look back on the absurdity of it. More and more people seemed to be getting in the way of my drinking. Soon, I ended up alone. I ended up physically, spiritually, and mentally alone. I’d managed to offend, manipulate, and push away everyone who loved me.
I had some sort of moment of clarity. I don’t know where it came from, but I decided I couldn’t do this anymore. I decided I needed help. For years, this was obvious to everyone else, but I remained oblivious. I reached out to my family and started the most awkward month of my life! The month of trying to get into treatment.
During this month, my family tiptoed around me. They tried their best not to set me off (I was VERY easy to set off). The night before I came to south Florida for treatment, I saw my father cry. This was the first time I’d ever seen him cry. He sat on my bed and held his face in his hands. He asked me, through tears, where I’d disappeared to. I’d never seen this much pain in his face. I’ve never seen as much pain on anyone’s face since. I’ll always remember that night.
The Path to Recovery
I didn’t get this recovery deal right away. I didn’t understand there was actually another way to live. I drank soon after leaving treatment. I struggled. Still, I had a sponsor and was starting to grow. Well, I wanted to grow, anyway.
I managed to stay sober for a few days and began to work the steps. Around the third step, I said my first honest prayer. I asked God to remove my obsession to drink. God didn’t remove this obsession right away, but he did send me some amazing people. These people were laughing, smiling, and talking about God!
I started to write my fourth step. Then, one day, I got a phone call. My teenage heartthrob bad boy had passed away. I was devastated. I was broken. I was ready to drink. I was faced with the choice we all face in early sobriety – to start drinking and go on to the bitter end, or to live and accept spiritual help. I chose to live. I started my fifth step and told another woman how sick I really was. She hugged me and told me she’d never been prouder of me.
I worked steps six and seven. My defects were revealed to me and to my sponsor. I asked God to remove them. Afterwards, I was ready to make my list of amends. Not only was I ready to make this list, but I was ready to find the willingness to face the people I’d hurt. I was ready to take ownership of the mistakes I made and the harm I caused.
Here we are at my ninth step, at my white-light experience.
When I Met God
I was sitting in the airport, about to go home and face the people I’d wronged. I was sitting there and saw a man standing at the check-in desk. He looked terrified. I don’t know what was going on with him, but it suddenly hit me. OTHER PEOPLE HAVE FEAR! Not only fear, but they have feelings. They have feelings that are just as important as my feelings!
This was a VERY new thought. Up to that moment, the entire world revolved around me and what I wanted., I became overwhelmed with compassion for this stranger. In that one moment, everything changed. I became aware of my surroundings and all the people there. I felt gratitude, love, and compassion for each and every one of them. I had a spiritual awakening.
I ran onto the plane, and into my family’s home in Massachusetts, on fire. I made amends with my father. I told him from this point forward I’d be the daughter he raised me to be. I saw my father cry for the second time that day. This time, though, it was for a completely different reason.
I was able to make a graveside amends to my bad boy. That experience was incredible. The only amends I could make to him was the one where I lived. I promised him that I’d never stay when I knew I should go. I haven’t. These promises I was making turned into the morals and values I use to live my life
When I sat down to make amends to my sister, not one thing I’d planned to say came out. I saw things differently, before I even opened my mouth. I realized that over our entire lives I’d taken all our family’s attention. Even though she’d always done the right thing, I’d taken all of her space. There wasn’t any room for her because of how big I’d made myself.
When I returned to Florida, I returned a different person. Since then, I’ve seen this happen to numerous different women. They leave to make amends and, in the process, they become women of integrity. They become women with enormous hearts, enormous amounts of courage.
My ninth step changed the entire world for me. I was awake, aware, and grateful. Now, two years later, I’m still making amends! I’m sure I’ll be making amends for the rest of my life., Fortunately, the worst thing I’ve done is sobriety is steal someone’s cupcake. I had to make amends for that too! It was pretty humbling.
Want to know the most beautiful part about sobriety? Every time I make a mistake, I get an opportunity to grow.
