Serenity Is Forever

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

Inside My God Box

October 14, 2014 stephaniep12 step, 12step, aa, ACOA, addiction, addiction and creativity, Al-anon, ALANON, na, recovery, serenityprayer, sober birthdays0 comment

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…

12step Inspiration NA Narcotics Anonymous relapse prevention

Principles Before Personalities

August 3, 2013 stephaniep12 step, 12step, aa, aa principles, alcoholism, na, NA principle, principles before personality, recovery0 comment

One of the tougher issues I have to deal with as an artist, person in recovery and micro-businesswoman is dealing with personalities. The vast majority of the feedback I get for my work is positive and supportive. It makes me feel good to be of service, and people love what they have purchased for themselves or their loved ones. However, I get the rare comment that somebody really despises my work. Not straightforward criticism like that it’s just okay, or that they don’t really like this or that about a…

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

Relapse Scares Me Still

September 12, 2012 stephaniep12 step, aa, addiction, addiction and creativity, Al-anon, ALANON, alcoholism, fear of relapse, na, recovery, serenity prayer, serenityprayer, sober birthdays, sobriety anniversary0 comment

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…

12step NA Narcotics Anonymous

New for NA Peeps!

August 20, 2012 stephaniep12 step, 12step, na, Narcotics Anonymous Symbol, never alone never again, recovery, sobriety anniversary0 comment

Brand new design, hot out of the oven. Come and get yours! Officially licensed by Narcotics Anonymous. http://serenityisforever.com/jewelry/dog-tag/military-style/na-symbol-dog-tag-necklace.html

12step Al-Anon

Alcohol – the cheapest drug in America

May 19, 2012 stephaniep12 step, 12step, addiction, addiction and creativity, Al-anon, ALANON, alcoholism, isolation and addiction, just for today, na, recovery0 comment

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…

12step Inspiration Uncategorized

Was Dracula Really Just Drinking…Blood?

August 6, 2011 stephaniep12 step, aa, addiction, addiction and creativity, Misery, na, On Writing by Stephen KIng, recovery, Stephen King, Stephen King On Writing, StephenKing0 comment

In my last blog post, I talked about how wrong I was in my belief that Stephen King’s Misery was about the artist trapped in the horror-genre. After reading his book, On Writing-A Memoir of the Craft, it turns out that he was writing about being trapped and crippled by drugs and alcohol. So much for my years of literary interpretation I learned at school! This has opened up my eyes and I now wonder how many other novels or short shorts are about addiction and alcoholism masked in metaphors. …

12step Inspiration

Stephen King Is One Of Us

June 30, 2011 stephaniep12 step, aa, addiction, addiction and creativity, Misery, na, On Writing by Stephen KIng, recovery, Stephen King, Stephen King On Writing, StephenKing0 comment

I picked up a used book by Stephen King called On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft. It’s partially a memoir, and partially a how-to book on writing. To my amazement there is a small section of the memoir, Chapter 36, where he talks about his struggles with addiction. He very openly and poignantly describes his battle with booze and drugs and discusses the myth surrounding mind-altering substances and creative endeavor. He talks about 20th century writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald who have perpetuated the myth that one must…

12step

Suicide Survivor

May 16, 2011 stephaniep12 step, 12step, aa, addiction, alcoholism, na, recovery, Serenity, suicide survivor0 comment

I’m a survivor of many events in my life. I’ve survived addiction, I’ve survived parental alcoholism and I’ve survived a suicide. My brother, may he rest in peace, took his own life 13 years ago this week. I remember the day I got the phone call as clearly as it was yesterday. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I was sorting through the laundry when the phone rang. My cousin who rarely called me was on the other line. She told me he committed suicide and then everything changed…

12step

Dear Friend

December 30, 2010 stephaniep12 step, 12step, aa, addiction, alcoholism, christmas and alcoholism, holidays and addiction, just for today, na, one day at a time, recovery, Serenity, serenityprayer0 comment

I may be clean and sober for nine years now, but alcoholism and addiction is alive and well in my family. I’m sick of it and I want it to go away, but I have to deal with it AGAIN and AGAIN. I want to share a letter I wrote a friend one today: My friend, I know you are angry, confused and hurt right now. I know because I’ve been there. About 10 years ago, my life was a shambles, my marriage was falling apart, I hated everybody and…

12step

Hometown Blues

October 18, 2010 stephaniep12 step, 12step, aa, addiction, alcoholism, isolation and addiction, just for today, na, recovery, Serenity, serenity prayer, sober birthdays0 comment

I went back home to my hometown recently after quite some time to visit my aging mom. Going back home is always an emotional journey for me and although I look forward to visiting, I still can’t help but be filled with some dread about revisiting the place where I grew up and remembering what it was like growing up with alcoholism. It was only a decade ago that I used to visit my parents with plenty of drugs in tow that I managed so foolishly to hide in my…

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Tag: na

Inside My God Box

Principles Before Personalities

Relapse Scares Me Still

New for NA Peeps!

Alcohol – the cheapest drug in America

Was Dracula Really Just Drinking…Blood?

Stephen King Is One Of Us

Suicide Survivor

Dear Friend

Hometown Blues