The drug known as Meth is not just addictive stimulant drug but also very danger to your health. The substance works by activating certain systems in your brain, which will enhance your mood and physical movement. Meth or Methamphetamine was created early in this century from its relative drug called amphetamine that was used for nasal decongestants and other related products. Similar to the amphetamine, meth can causes increased activity, decreased appetite, and many more hazardous effects. Researchers studies that chronic meth abusers will slowly changes their brain functions to a level which will reduced motor speed and impaired verbal learning as well as emotional and memory problems.

As for the treatments, methamphetamine abusers do not necessarily need some specialized treatment in order to reduce the cravings but they do need more time in intensive outpatient or residential drug treatment programs. The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy is currently one of the most successful methods for meth addiction treatment. This therapy will prepare the addict for the long term recovery. Although, meth addiction recovery will take much longer than any other addictions, but it can be done. All you need is a determination and support from the people around you, especially the loved one.

So, now that you know how serious methamphetamine addiction is and one of the hardest to recover from, treatment for the addictions should be taken seriously as well. Start from right now; don\’t wait until you fall to deep to the addictions. Always seek for professional help. Don\’t be afraid to admit that you are an addict.

Fortunately, for those of you or your loved one has an addiction to meth, currently there is a pharmaceutical treatment for meth addictions. It uses 4-part systems to knock down the cravings, detox your body, repair drug damage and create your health back. Visit http://www.bestremediez.com and start your recovery from the beginning.

Drinking alcohol is a widespread addiction. There are conflicting counsels about how to stop drinking alcohol. You have to chart your own course from the myriads of crisscrossing ways to stop drinking alcohol.

Have a Clear Vision

A clear vision about an alcohol free life can motivate you and strengthen your efforts to stop drinking alcohol. If you stop drinking alcohol, you will improve your general health and quality of life. Your relationship with your parents, spouse, children, friends and relatives will improve.

Adverse Effects of Addiction

Addiction to alcohol may increase your chances of injuring yourself and others under its influence. Alcohol addiction ruins the life both physically and emotionally. It reduces the man to be his caricature. You set bad example before your children and forfeit moral authority to check them if they do anything wrong. There are numerous steps about how to stop drinking alcohol.

Self Help-Introspection

Think hard and try to see the benefits of abstaining from drinking alcohol. You may have been discarded by your boy/girl friend you loved most just because you are an alcohol addict and are given to repeated relapses. You may not have been able to realize your dream of distinguishing yourself, for example, as an art designer just because of your alcoholism. Try to analyze the outcome of your past drinking and envision your future. How it would change if you stopped drinking. Make a determined effort to stop drinking once for all. When you do so, you may be having conflicting thoughts about the benefits of stopping to drink alcohol and your helplessness in giving it up altogether.

Ambivalent Thinking

This ambivalence about drinking comes naturally to all the alcohol addicts. On the one hand you want to stop drinking alcohol and on the other hand you are terrified of giving it up. You may be afraid of failure. “What if I relapse again? My hopes will be dashed. It would be greatly demoralizing. I would be depressed more than ever before.” These dilemmas are faced by every addict trying to give up drinking. You may even deny your disease is chronic, incurable and progressive. Then there is one part in you that wants to drink for ever. A voice in you may also say that you are doomed for ever to this life of drinking. This voice may urge you to take a peg right now. This self denying pessimistic stance may impel you to continue drinking since it is impossible for you to quit it for ever.

The ‘Voice’ and You

However you must try to distinguish between ‘that voice’ and you, that is, your own real person. ‘That voice’ does not care anything about you, your values, welfare, dreams and ambitions for a good, happy and healthy life. Make up your mind to fight that voice and you are sure stop drinking alcohol once for all.

Support Groups-Alcoholics Anonymous

If self help does not succeed, there are numerous other resources to help you about how to stop drinking alcohol. One such popular resource is Alcoholics Anonymous-AA- that organizes meetings all over the world for those who wish to stop drinking alcohol. This group is comprised primarily of those persons who have been alcohol addicts. It may be noted that these persons are more qualified in offering useful tips and advice based on their own efforts, agonies, experiences and success stories. How can a person who has never touched alcohol throughout his life tender an effective and practical advice against taking it?

Alcoholics Anonymous keeps your identity anonymous. They have a 12- step universal program about how to stop drinking alcohol. It works for every alcohol addict. It is being presented to the public practically through every treatment program. Besides AA you can contact your family physician, psychologists, health professionals in outpatient and inpatient treatment centers and hospitals. You can also log on to internet to find many voluntary organizations that are only too happy to help you about how to stop drinking alcohol.

Discover How To Permanenlty Stop Drinking Alcohol With In 21 Days - Guaranteed. Click Here For Details.
How to Stop Drinking Alcohol

No one will deny that drug and alcohol addiction are serious problems, actually they gain a very real degree of urgency when they are problems that you or your loved ones are facing. Even admitting that a problem is present can be an issue, and alcohol and drug addiction treatment - the road to recovery - can feel like a real uphill trudge. Recognizing that you or a loved one may have a problem can be difficult, though. Take a look at few of the symptoms that may indicate a problem with substance abuse.

1. An inability to feel normal without drugs.

When a person is addicted to drugs, it can become impossible to feel normal without them. Are you able to get through your day without the substance in question? Does the prospect of time period without your substance of choice make you feel nervous or angry? If the idea of going without unnerves you, it is definitely time to sit down and decide what to do next. Recreational drugs should not provide you with a baseline of existence.

2. A change in mood

Have your friends or family noticed a drastic change in mood? Sometimes, it might be easier to figure out if you have changed due to their changed reactions to you. How do your friends and loved ones react when you say hello. Are they wary or cautious? Think about how they may have greeted you six months or a year ago. Has anything changed? If something has, ask them why!

3.A change in lifestyle

Drug abuse often leads to a change in lifestyle, whether the substance under question is alcohol or something even stronger. How much has you life begun to revolve around making sure that that substance gets into your body? Do you find yourself surrounded by people with whom the only thing that you have in common is an addiction?

4. Loss of interest in things that were once important to you

When a person is experiencing issues with substance abuse, that substance often becomes the center of their life. When was the last time you did something that other than thought beyond the next time you could have a drink? Have you let old hobbies or enjoyments fall to the wayside? While growing away from old hobbies is something that all people do, it is important to think of why you may have left behind something important to you.

5. Seclusion

Most people are social by nature. Have you noticed a lack of interest in getting out at all? If you were once gregarious and outgoing, sudden seclusion or an inability to deal with others may be a sign that you may have an addiction and are suffering some of the physical effects thereof.

Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most serious problems today. As soon as you realize that you or one you care about might have a problem, it is time for serious life reconsideration starting with alcohol and drug addiction treatment.

David Richards is a publisher of facts about alcoholism addiction treatments. You can go to alcoholism treatment for more.

Alcohol/drug addiction is one of the only diseases known to man that tells you that you don’t have it. People with heart conditions, diabetics, or other ailments don’t deny that they have the condition. As a matter of fact, the sooner they admit it, the sooner they can find a physician and seek treatment. On the other hand, people who suffer from alcoholism/drug addiction deny their condition, they don’t seek help, and most end up dying from the disease.

The last time you drank or used, did you use more than you originally said you would, or leave for home later than you promised yourself or someone else? Have you ever lost a job, promotion, or days off work because of your usage? Do you show up on Monday feeling like garbage or start thinking about Friday night when you get to work Friday morning?

How about your personal relationships with friends, co-workers, spouse, family members and children? The list could go on and on. When was the last time you told yourself you were going to go “on the wagon” only to find yourself back in the same old situation shortly thereafter? Even when you are on the wagon and it does last for a week or two, or maybe even a month or two, the whole time you’re sitting on your hands, irritable, and in the back of your mind you are planning your next high. How often does one more turn into five, and five to ten?

You know what the truth is, and the truth is you need help. The problem with most of us is that when we do say we need help, that’s the last we think on it until we’re coming off a bad drunk or high. Saying I need help and then actually seeking help determines how serious a person is about change. When we admit our need we must follow that up with professional, spiritual, or personal assistance from someone who can offer a glimmer of hope. It is at this precise time that we need to put action to our confession.

Robert Pardon is founder of becomingwellnow.com, a website that offers recovery information and solutions for alcohol and drug addiction.

Nail biting stems from a nervous condition. Usually the condition developed from childhood and ignited from emotional disturbances that have not been explored. Until the entity deals with the emotional reason by exploring the past, it is likely that person will continue biting his or her nails. The reasons for biting nails must be explained in order to find ways to resolve the problem.

Usually nail biting starts at a young age and it become habit-forming and continues to be a problem throughout the person’s life until that person finds ways to take control of his or her habit.
When a person has nervous condition it is often, best to treat the condition first before considering ways to stop the habit. There is clear evidence that some sort of nervous condition is present. One of the best ways to find the source of the problem is to explore your past and find answers by asking, “Why, when, who, what, how,” when you the answers to these questions it helps you to find answers effectively.

It has been my experience when you know what the problem is, you can accept, and then you can move to resolve the problem. By exploring your mind, you can often find direct answers and details that sum up your problems.

You can also visit a neurologist to find answers. In the meantime, take a few hints and tips to help you take control of your nail biting problem.

One of the ways to stop nail biting is to keep stretchy bands about the wrist. Remember that nails have fungus and other harmless particles that build up. By keeping this in mind you will think about what you put in your mouth each time you start to bite your nails.

Some people keep their hands occupied. They may keep a tennis ball in hand, pencil, or some rubbery object to help them stop biting their nails. Some women I noticed will use false or acrylic nails to help them stop biting their nails.

The market has some nail biting products, which can offer you a solution for biting your nails as well. Some of the products involve that you paint your nails. When you start to bite your nails, the taste of the product is so intense or distasteful that you stop biting your nails.

Keep hard candy or gum in your mouth also. Your mouth will be busy and you will not have time to bite your nails. Since stress factors in to being part of the reasons for biting nails, you might take up some exercises to help you reduce stress. Set up a stress management plan also.
Staying focused on what you are doing will help you stop biting your nails also. When you focus on what you are doing, it makes it easier to take control of the situation. Most people’s minds are preoccupied, which they will subconsciously bite their nails. Stay focused, and watches how this action will help you find the reasons for biting nails, as well as ways to resolve nail biting.

Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about
why you bite your nails visit
Stop Nail Biting Now for
current articles and discussions.

It’s not an easy task to find alcohol or drug addiction help for your young kid or teenager. Nevertheless this is an important task and as a parent you have no choice but taking care of it. A teenager’s life is full of contradictions and extremes, as young people are struggling to find out who they really are as well as wondering what their identity as adults will be, this is just normal. Due to teenagers particular mental stressors, it is a very easy way for youngsters to get caught up in an alcohol or drug addiction problem. Because of these stressors, they will almost always be in need for drug addiction help to get rid of their cravings for their drug of choice. Facts about alcoholism and drug addiction show that the highest rates of success occur with inpatient drug rehab.

Drug addiction help for teenagers has to be specialized to their needs. Alcohol or drug addiction rehab that works wonderfully for adults may not address the concerns of teens. When searching for drug or alcoholism rehab centers for your teenager, be sure to decide whether each center’s program was designed specifically for teens.

Of special concern to parents of teenagers with a drug or alcohol addiction problem is the issue of schooling. Many teens who have a drug or alcohol addiction problem have dropped out of school or have missed so much school that they have been suspended or expelled. In drug or alcohol rehab centers, teenagers will be required to attend school. The quality of education varies from program to program, but your teenager will have to attend classes. A drug or alcohol rehab center’s schedule is tight, incorporating academic classes as well as psycho-educational classes, group therapy, personal counseling and similar activities.

Parents should expect to be significantly involved with their teen’s drug addiction help, whether the teenager is in inpatient drug or alcohol rehab or outpatient counseling. Family sessions are required by many rehab facilities and highly recommended anyway. While it is surely not your “fault” that your teenager has a drug or alcohol addiction problem, family dynamics may play a contributing part in the underlying causes. Additionally, you and your teen have probably grown apart and may fight frequently. Your faithful attendance at family sessions will show your teenager that you love and care for him or her and are willing to commit to the teen’s recovery effort.

After your teen completes his or her inpatient drug or alcohol rehab program, you will need to make provisions for aftercare drug or alcohol addiction help. Your teen will most likely receive a referral to an outside therapist or psychologist and information about twelve step programs and peer counseling services as well. Make sure that your teenager performs all appropriate follow up work, as relapse is very common. Work with your teen and allow him or her to take some progressive responsibility for making his/her own aftercare decisions.

Do not punish or guilt trip your teenager about his or her drug addiction problem but rather encourage him or her in the fight for recovery. Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction brings forth many feelings, some of which will be quite mean for both you and your kid. Provide a loving and supportive environment in which your teenager can heal and be prepared to do the necessary work on your side of the relationship. Alcohol or drug addiction help can assist you both in becoming closer and more trusting of each other.

No matter how old the addicted person is, facing the need of drug addiction recovery can be a real nightmare. For a person questing for identity like teenagers normally do, getting rid of an alcohol or drug addiction on top of all these other issues issues must be felt like a disaster. Fortunately, there are methods to handle addiction in teenagers successfully however, it requires professional alcohol or drug addiction help together with the teenager as well as the parents. Only then the treatment will be successful.

David Richards is a publisher of alcoholism facts. You can go to alcoholism treatment for more.

Myth: Drink coffee for an energized pick me up

Truth: In truth, coffee puts your body in a stressful state. The stress produces an alertness from a chemical reaction, which is often mistaken for “energy.” Don’t get caught up in the coffee junkie jive!

Have you heard?

There is a product on the market called Bawls. It’s a high caffeine soft drink that many college kids are using to stay awake for extended periods of time to study for tests and do homework. And guess what? One 16 oz. bottle is the equivalent of 100 mg or 9 cups of coffee. Just so you’ll know, that is way over the the USDA daily dosage intake amount.

Find out more about the product BAWLS [Google it] so you can keep you and your kids away from it.

Four Ways Caffeine Limits You

1. Interferes with sleep
2. Elevates hormone levels
3. Dehydrates body, which, over time, effects how quickly you’ll age
4. Impairs digestion and regular bowel movements

10 Good Reasons To Kick The Habit

You want to:

1. lower blood pressure
2. reduce stress
3. get rid of heartburn
4. eliminate migraines
5. sleep better at night
6. increase your iron
7. reverse bone loss (osteoporosis)
8. prevent enlarging your prostrate glands
9. avoid pregnancy and childbirth complications
10. be free from anxiety and anxiety attacks

Here’s my strategy to get clean. We suggest you try reducing your coffee intake and increase your herbal coffee intake. There is no caffeine in herbal. It’s rich in natural ingredients like chicory root, dates, almonds, figs, and roasted carob. You can learn more about this strategy of weaning yourself from coffee and other tips for living a healthier life in our e-book, www.fit-leaders.com.

When you get rid of the caffeine, your body may exhibit these symptoms:

• low energy
• fatigue
• constipation
• fuzzy thinking

This article is about kicking the habit without pain. So, here’s how to do so with grace and ease:

* To combat fuzzy thinking, supplement with Gingko biloba.
* To alleviate low energy, take a B 100 vitamin supplement.
* For constipation, licorice or a flax seed/selenium laxative works miracles.

For a multi-prong approach for all the above, exercise and take St. John’s Wart.

I encourage you to stick it out until you get back to your lively self. Take this wisdom challenge…try kicking for the habit for at least 30 days, if you don’t like your healthier less stressed life, then by all means go back to drinking coffee.

Karen M. Pina is a leadership coach and the CEO of Gifts Ordained by Direction www.godscoach.com, a coaching practice that addresses everyday leadership issues. Pick up a copy of Karen’s book “Leadership FITness” and get FIT physically, financially, and spiritually.

Mine for the gems in your career, relationships, and leadership development by joining the many readers of Gem News. Subscribe now and instantly receive a free audiobook chapter on career fitness. You can partner with Karen for more support around what you have just read or allow her to mentor you to become a certified coach.

The negative impact of abuse, which originates with the addict, slowly permeates into his or her family and ultimately throughout the community. Efforts to educate our communities, regarding these consequences, are critical in initiating positive change.

The tangible losses associated with addiction are often readily apparent. Crime and the eventual losses of health, jobs, family, friends, and money are only the manifestations of a more intangible loss, which is likely the real culprit behind abuse: loss of one’s self through the insidious and consistent detachment of one’s feelings through addiction.

Feelings serve the useful purpose of guiding one in better understanding oneself. The avoidance of feelings (particularly through addiction) robs oneself of the valuable, directional information which feelings can afford. A “gut instinct”, for example, can be viewed as a crystallization of all of one’s life experiences into a single guiding feeling. Nobody can be consciously aware of every life experience, as it may relate to a presenting concern. One can, however, benefit from one’s guiding feeling.

Addiction has the real potential to dull this and other types of valuable feelings, which can ultimately, further alienate the addict from him or herself and others, leading to confusion, poor direction, and despair. This cycle can continue to create a pattern which can lead to the more tangible aforementioned losses. Education (whether through the media, therapy, or the like) is key to breaking this pattern and changing ultimate despair into real hope for the future.

The Jellinek Curve offers a graphical representation of the insidious path of addiction and recovery: www.SimplifiedHealth.com/links.htm#jellinek

Jerry Solfanelli

www.ThePsychologist.com Simplify your overall health care, by improving your emotional health with my
psychology-related links, E-books, hypnosis and other FREE self-help programs.

(c) Copyright - Psychologist Gerald A. Solfanelli. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Maybe you have just realized that you have an alcohol or drug addiction problem and are ready for seeking help with your addiction. Or maybe you are affected by the fact that you have a friend or someone you love who is struggling with and alcoholism or a drug addiction problem. Addiction help is everywhere and is possible to get, but where should I start, you may ask? We know there are many varieties of assistance and help, and all in all this can be very confusing and even overwhelming. The kind of help that you or your loved one need depends on such factors as

• what the addiction is,
• the patients history of alcohol or drug addiction,
• the patients financial situation
• the severity of the alcohol or drug addiction problem.

Addiction help repeatedly includes a trip to inpatient drug rehab. Rather than the scary, institutional setting in most cases depicted in film and legend, inpatient drug or alcoholism rehab units tend to be modern, open, airy and pleasant. In an inpatient drug or alcohol rehab program, you will have the opening to work through not only the detoxification process but also the issues that led up to your drug addiction problem. A stay at an inpatient drug or alcohol rehab will generally be short-term, lasting no longer than a month, unless your individual situation requires a longer period. The main benefit of inpatient drug or alcoholism rehab is that you will have access to 24 hour a day, 7 days a week help and support. The major drawback of inpatient drug rehab is the cost. You will need to decide if your private insurance will cover your stay and if not, whether the institution offers a sliding scale rate based on ability to pay.

Twelve step programs are another rationale that works well for many people. Twelve step programs are commonly run by peer counselors who were once addicted to drugs themselves. This form of addiction assistance is either free or very low cost and generally provides you with a strong support network of those who understand your drug addiction. The biggest disadvantage to this type of program is also its major advantage: that it hands over the full responsibility for working the program to you. Whether or not you are capable to handle this responsibility while living in your current situation is a decision you must make carefully.

Another alternative for addiction help is outpatient counseling. This is done with a trained addictions therapist and occurs about twice a week or just one or a few times a month. This all depends on the patient’s treatment plan. A therapist will help work through the problems and issues that may have caused the drug addiction to occur in the first place, offering assistance in several forms.

Whatever form of addiction support you choose, remember that getting over drug or alcohol addiction is a lifelong process. While a few former alcoholics claim that they are now able to drink responsibly, current professional thought on the topic is that it is a hazardous game to play. Once you been addicted to a drug - alcohol included - your likelihood of relapse is much higher than the risk of develop addiction for someone who has never been addicted. It is optimal for you to remain free of that drug and any others for the rest of your life.

Actually there is nothing called “the best solution” to the problem of alcohol or drug addiction. Many addicts find that the best solution is to take advantage of a range of addiction help services as they go through the process of becoming drug or alcohol independent The patients decisions will ultimately be based on a multitude of factors and should ideally be made with the assistance of a trained and licensed addictions counselor, doctor or psychologist.

David Richards is a publisher of alcoholism facts You can go to alcoholism treatment for more.

The story revolves around my struggles with addiction, the life I did not choose to lead and where that lifestyle has led me. This story goes into the numerous facets of my life, including addiction and recovery, and personal history It is a compilation of my personal experiences to this point, paying attention to information I have been privileged to receive from God, 12 step recovery programs and friends.

I grew up in Oregon with my mom, step dad and younger sister. My mom and her husband at the time had their struggles. My step dad drank a lot and my mother was a very controlling individual with security issues of her own, and depression issues. Some where along the way growing up I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere.

Rebellious Teenager

I loved movies and I loved role play. I idolized rockers, country rockers and the hard-core lifestyle they lived and I wanted to be apart of it. I would attend parties on the weekends and one thing led to another and I tried my first line of Cocaine when I was 15, some kids offered it to me at a party. I was curious about drugs, so it was an easy sale.

That one line of Cocaine started me on a path of getting high at school and drunk before. Classes, track practice and meets. It would interfere with my drug and drinking life. What I thought was normal behavior was not normal at all. I was out of control, addicted to drugs and in the midst of all this craziness I was so dependent on one good apple out of the bunch of Christian friends I had that as crazy as it sounds upon our graduation from high school I followed her to college in Boise, Idaho. What was strange at this point in my life was this move got me around strong minded individuals not only mentally, but physically and spiritually. The hidden message I realized later was this got my off the booze and the drugs. Yet my destructive, controlling, manipulative mind set; in addition to, my low self esteem still took me down a path of destruction.

Marriage, Children, and Divorce.

Since I quit the booze and drugs, my attitude never changed. I dropped out of college, had met a man seventeen years my senior with three boys of his own. We married, had three children of our own, and fought with one another very abusively. How any of us made it through the 10 year marriage without me drinking or drugging God only knows.

My Life on Cocaine & Alcohol, Later Heroin and Alcohol

After my marriage had failed, and full of guilt and shame all I wanted to do was hang out and get high – and I could never get high enough. Sometimes I would be up for days, using constantly. When I’d finally come down, I was totally depleted. I would barely get out of bed for weeks. I even tried to stay sober at one point or another. I got a job at a local janitorial service to support myself, but after a month I started using again. I couldn’t hold my job because I was too sick and too high to function.

I was living on the doorstep of death everyday, almost unknowingly because I had no idea how toxic and dangerous the chemicals were that I put in my body.

I lived wherever I could, in the woods, camping in tents or in trailers, even under tarps tied to two separated trees. When I did have a job for a short period of time I had my own apartment where my children could come and visit. Things were looking up, only for me to tear them down when I would see my children, and feel the guilt once again. The guilt I couldn’t and wouldn’t deal with led me back to the booze and now heroin, since the cocaine wasn’t working anymore

Falling Apart


I tried to lead a regular life, but I found that on coke, later on heroin that even the simplest things were impossible. My apartment looked like someone had taken everything I owned, shook it up and dropped it on the floor. I could barely walk through the piles of garbage, dirty dishes, clothes and knickknacks. I very seldom ate or slept. I wasn’t taking care of myself. I want the best for my children, and with me being on drugs I simply could not be a mother. I was angry and irritable all the time, constantly aggravated, frustrated, yelling and screaming. I tried to kill myself numerous times, of no avail. The strange thing I didn’t realize was it wasn’t until I got in recovery that I was trying to kill myself every day I drank and used.

I know many women who’ve had their children taken away, even mothers who chose to give their kids up to the system. I know women who have literally lost their minds because of drugs and booze and I was becoming one of them. I had no patience – especially for my own children . It was with this realization that I knew I had to change my life.

I met a man in recovery and together we both realized we needed a change. The adventure we embarked on took us to Washington State. His family lived there. All this did for me was to intensify my guilt over my children and my low self esteem. The only way I knew to cope was to dive deeper into my addictive lifestyle. I had my brushes with the law and legal systems, and near death experiences. The one that I accredit to opening my eyes was when I had a heart attack at the young age of 33.

I met a nun that was 24 years old that lived a similar lifestyle of my own. A soft spoken young girl that was not threatening to me, or condemning of my lifestyle. It was the first time I felt I had seen an angel in human form. A beautiful angel I will never forget until my dying day. She introduced me to state officials to get help.

Finding Help

I went to the state to find mental health help and I went in for a drug and alcohol assessment. I went from one inpatient treatment center after another struggling in between to stay clean and sober. After going through this, the woman running the last program I attended left it up to me to do some outpatient treatment, and it changed my life.

I took recovery seriously and attended as many 12-step meetings as possible – sometimes five meetings a day – anything to get me through it without using. I also joined a program that taught me basic life skills, like budgeting and parenting. Even though at this point in my life I didn’t have my children with me. I also joined other spiritual programs from church, meditation, and incense and smudging rituals of Native Americans. Something to give me a spiritual base to hold onto when the days felt like I wouldn’t get through them being clean and sober.

During this same process I met, came to know, and grow in love with a man in recovery. When writing this article we have been married 14 years. I met, grew to love, and walk this road of sobriety and spiritual growth with my soul mate. Also during this time the idea of being self-sufficient was mind-boggling. I was terrified to even set a goal for myself. At first, I hated the daily chores and meetings, and learning to be a responsible adult at age 33. I don’t recall when it finally hit that I live this lifestyle because I wanted to and not because I had to. All I do know is that now with 17 plus years of sobriety it has become a part of me. I live to enhance and strengthen it so I may share it with others today.

To Everyone Out There

In the beginning, cocaine gave me a feeling of euphoria, as the heroin and booze did later. In the end, all of it made me feel hollow and empty. Now I want to inspire hope in the families who know someone with an addiction like mine. People get stuck, and it’s important to give them hope to get out of it. Please! Don’t give up – miracles happen everyday.

Look if you want more for yourself and your family… if you’re tired of other people limiting your potential, or all the negativity and destructive behavior brought about due to drug and alcohol use then you really owe it to yourself to take the steps to get help. There’s a saying…
“If You Keep Doing What You’ve Always Done You Keep Getting What You’ve Always Gotten”.

I am living proof (in addition to the thousands of other success stories out there), that when it comes to recovery and the life I share with my husband, grown children, and grandchildren, that recovery will change ones life forever. Struggles that once seemed “a part of life”, are now a thing of the past. You literally can be free from the bondage of addiction and or alcoholism, and receive so much in recovering. All you have to do today is, SAY “MAYBE,” I have a problem, and let those that have been walking through this journey of recovery help you along the way.

For any input or comments feel free to contact me at 888-323-8916 Option 101 or email me at richbeyondmeasure@gmail.com You never know. Our paths may be destined to cross and meet face to face.

I am a 51 year old women with my own home business in the Pacific Northwest residing in Central Washington with my husband. I have 3 grown children and 7 grandchildren. I am a grateful recovering Alcoholic and Addict with 17 plus years of continuous sobriety and clean time. Part of my purpose in life is to share my experience, strength, and hope with others. If this can benefit one person out there then I have fulfilled my purpose on this leg of my journey. May you be Blessed, strengthened, and filled with hope to continue your journey.