Ready, set, stop. Sigh, I find myself here a lot. I think I am ready. I made plans; I check out the outcomes and possibilities. I set my goals, then hit the pause button or the procrastination button. If I despise my character defects, seeing clearly after working the first 5 Step how they are holding me…
addiction
My Instant Gratification Monkey Meets Dr. Gabor Mate
OK, maybe I am late on the scene. I just watched the Tim Urban TED talk on procrastination. This is a must see into the amazing mind of a master procrastinator and his instant gratification monkey. (Please watch the 13 minute video. Without it the next 3 articles will be a challenge, plus its funny.)…
Admitted Our Wrongs – Step 5
How do you even think about admitting our wrongs out loud? How do we even say the truth to ourselves? Here we share our experience with “Step 5–“Admitted Our Wrongs.” Shining a Light On Our Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups In Step 5 we bring our hurts, habits and hang-ups into the light. By doing this, as Jerry says…
Searching and Fearless: Step 4 The Work Begins
“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.” Lots of folks stop here. This means work–lots of work. It is not all bad. Stopping to look over your life will bring up all of it, the good, bad and the ugly. Courage, my friend, this is where a lot of folks get caught in the…
Stop Beating Yourself Up–Parent Better with Stress Management Tools
I recently contracted an awful head cold from a water park excursion in Texas. Playing, splashing and sliding at the park proved a great time for the family, but getting on a plane the next day sealed the fate of my sinuses. Frustrated, I thought “Go ahead start beating yourself up for knowing better than…
How I Came To Believe- Step 2
Came to believe a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. By far my favorite Step, Step 2 bounces around in my brain on a daily bases. The promise I yearned to accept! Sanity! Sanity! I wanted sanity and serenity. A blogger friend of mine later created the term Serantity. Serenity and sanity together Seranity. I…
Are You Powerless in Your Life- Step 1
Ah the feeling of being powerless. Love it just love it-not! It is an acquired taste at best for a person that struggles with codependency. Here we go! Step 1 Came to believe we were powerless over_________ and our lives had become unmanageable . What does powerless mean? Powerless /pou(ə)rləs/ adjective …
How to Handle Your Life: When Your Husband Enters Rehab
OK, here is the deal. When your husband enters rehab, he needs space, time, and the ability to process his thoughts while learning to live without his go-to drug of choice. What are you doing while your husband enters rehab? The Same Thing You Have Always Done Yes, you, the wife, are left at home to…
Create Community – A Must for Those Living with An Addicted Loved One
I know what made me do it. The church down the road had a nursery. Community, I needed to create a community for myself and my little boys. The tiny country church we attended before our sons were born tried to help with nursery care but I needed more. When my husband left for three…
How to Decide to Leave An Addict?
I remember standing in the sunny kitchen of our big, big house. My toddler and infant playing on the floor in the sunlight. I asked my Al-Anon buddy on the phone; “is it time to leave him?’ When do you leave an addict? The woman I spoke with that morning knew the question well. Two children of…