A Woman In Long Term Recovery

My family has a lot of alcoholics and other addictions. I grew up learning survival skills. How to survive with alcoholism. When I was 24, married with two children, I was using those skills in my alcoholic marriage and they weren't working.

We had a baby diagnosed with sudden infant death syndrome. The medical people said he could die at any time. He could stop breathing up until he was about 2.5 years. I believed that I had to keep our baby alive and I had to focus on our baby and couldn't focus on his dad too.

As a last-ditch effort before leaving my husband, we saw a marriage counselor and she told us, "I can't help you! As long as there is an alcohol and drug problem it is like pounding your head against the wall. We will not get anywhere!"

She dismissed us giving us a meeting list for a family program, a program for the alcoholic, and the contact information of an assessor to determine whether treatment or not.

A few days later, I started that family program and have been going ever since. That was September 24, 1978. In this program I was able to focus on me and not on the alcoholics in my life. I was asked to have an assessment when I attended a treatment program for family members.

The assessor told me that I could feel free to attend the meetings for the alcoholic. After two years on September 26, 1980, I started the program for the alcoholic. I have been attending that program ever since. I have "a daily reprieve that is contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition".

Recovery Rap or Spoken Word

Another rap, no crap,

about recovery, I rap

My man, he is the one,

like no other, he won

Come along now, brother

And ride along with this sister

You can do it like him

Give it a try to swim

In sober waters

Like the otters

The very best way to be

Is to be in recovery

~

A champion without strife

Loving and living the life

Yes, alcohol not ever

No drugs, no not never

He would not do that to you

To himself or to me Boo

Take it from me

The best way to be

Is in recovery.

~

Take it from me

And you will see

All the peace and serenity

You can ever want and glee

Take it from me

It is the best

Better than all the rest

Let’s put this to the test

And you will see

The very best way to be

Is to be in recovery