Category: Al-Anon

12step AA Alcoholics Anonymous Addiction Recovery Al-Anon Clean birthday NA Narcotics Anonymous Recovery sober birthday sobriety anniversary

The Importance of Sobriety/Clean Anniversaries

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I recently overheard a comment from someone who said “Sobriety anniversary? Who would ever want to celebrate being sober?” And to that I replied, “Well, for someone who was destroying their lives with drugs or alcohol, being clean and sober every passing day just happens to be a big, freaking deal!” People outside AA, NA, CA, and other 12-step or recovery-related programs often do not understand the importance of the sobriety anniversary. Outsiders or Normies May Not Understand As an addict in recovery, I can speak for many people that…

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12step AA Alcoholics Anonymous Addiction Recovery Al-Anon Clean birthday Inspiration NA Narcotics Anonymous Recovery relapse relapse prevention relaspe preveniton sober birthday sobriety anniversary

Sober Diva

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A new design inspired by one of my customers.  He told me he likes calling his wife now 10 years sober, his “sober diva”.   Liked it so much, I decided to create a product.  The back can be customized. to include your personal message.  See this link for a product details:  http://serenityisforever.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/668/s/serenity-prayer-heart-necklace-fine-925-sterling-silver/  

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12step Al-Anon Inspiration NA Narcotics Anonymous relapse relapse prevention Serenity Prayer

Inside My God Box

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I have a secret. Actually, hundreds of secrets, hopes, fears, desires, wishes all written on little scrapes of paper I’ve collected throughout the years and stuffed into my God Box. This is my way of Letting Go, Letting God – surrendering them to my Higher Power. Instead of worrying, ruminating or obsessing over life, I write it down and Turn It Over. My first sponsor, over 13 years ago, had one. She thought everyone should have one. At first, I thought it was little childish until I went through some…

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12step Al-Anon Inspiration NA Narcotics Anonymous relapse relapse prevention relaspe preveniton Serenity Prayer

Promises Promises

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Gorgeous hand made wallets are a wonderful gift for people in recovery. Wallets have a deep symbolic meaning because just about everyone in recovery has had financial problems due to their using or drinking. Sobriety brings more financial stability.. Giving a wallet sends he message “now that you won’t be squandering all your money on drugs or alcohol, you’ll be needing a nice place to put your money.” Sobriety is its own reward, but as the Big Book promises: “Fear…of economic insecurity will leave us.” As a matter of fact,…

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12step Al-Anon Inspiration NA Narcotics Anonymous relapse relapse prevention Serenity Prayer

Relapse Scares Me Still

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Relapse from recovery is my number one fear. Falling off the wagon, going out, screwing up: same difference. As a person in recovery for over 10 years, the fear of relapse still scares me sober. And it seems like everyone in recovery I’ve come in contact with has exactly the same fear. Once an alcoholic or addict is “in recovery” and has been clean and sober for a while and continues to go to AA or NA or other 12 Step meetings, relapse is still a very real possibility. Although…

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12step Al-Anon

My stuff is at Bill and Lois W’s House!

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I am so honored! Some of my artwork has been chosen to be showcased at Stepping Stones, the historic home of Bill and Lois Wilson, respective co-founders of Alcoholic Anonymous and Al-Anon in Bedford, NY. Stepping Stones www.steppingstones.org operates as a historic home museum and has a gift shop on site and will be selling some of my jewelry.

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12step Al-Anon

Alcohol – the cheapest drug in America

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I was shopping at Trader Joe’s today and came face to face with a display for house brand Vodka priced at $10.99 for 1.75 litres.  Wow that makes for some cheap booze!  You are looking at 40 drinks for about $0.27 per shot.  Then I looked around some more, I noticed they have wine priced at $2.00 a bottle and that’s a big $0.40 a glass.   That wine has been famously dubbed TJ’s Two Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw Vineyard).  Beer was just as cheap too.  Depending on one’s tolerance, a…

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12step Al-Anon Inspiration

Supportive. Not an Enabler.

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I get many emails from mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends of those who have just come into sobriety.  It is to these people, my own loving husband included, that I want to dedicate this blog entry.  Let’s talk about how difficult it is for you to do your part:  You can help. You can encourage.  The most important thing is to not enable the addiction.  Show moral support, faith and love but never enable. Although this Thanksgiving marks a decade of my own sobriety, I can still remember…

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