Recovery Stories

One of the hardest things about suffering is the overwhelming sense of isolation and alienation. When your problem is one of addiction there is also the guilt that comes from a sense that you have brought this upon yourself. This is why people dare to speak out. It is often the beacon of light that literally saves others.

The Internet is a remarkable resource for recovery stories that will help ease the isolation and give a sense of hope and possibility. Doing a Google search with the words "recovery stories" opens up a whole world of people who have found the strength to save themselves.

www.alcoholism.about.com is filled with personal stories of recovery that are brutally candid and real. You can't help but be amazed at the level of exposure these brave people have been prepared to reach in order to tell their stories. Read Debbie Rides remarkable story as a recovering alcoholic who has had to overcome growing up with alcoholic parents who divorced when she was five years old.

"I have used people, food, jobs, alcohol...to make me whole but nothing, absolutely nothing worked."

Aldonna on www.nattc.org/recovery shares how she is dealing with the early stages of drug recovery. Her drug addiction was no doubt a function of the fact that she was born to two practicing addicts in a home where "using was as normal as breathing to me". Other worthwhile websites on this subject are:  www.nickscape.net/recoveryzone and www.pbs.org/wnet/closetohome.

Check Amazon for books brimming with heartening recovery stories. Addict in the Family by Beverley Conyers is the perfect read for those who struggle with addiction in the family. Nice Girls Don't Drink by Sarah Hafner contains interviews with 20 recovering women alcoholics whose voices need to be heard. There are several titles available on this subject forming a formidable resource for those struggling with the problem of addiction.