Category: Recovery Stories
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Six months sober: my rose, thorn, and bud reflection
Six months sober, Erika reflects on her recovery journey using the Rose, Thorn, and Bud framework. From summiting Scotchman’s Peak on a chaotic morning to finding support in AA meetings, she shares the wins (celebrating sober holidays with her kids), the struggles (financial strain and co-parenting challenges), and the possibilities ahead (running Bloomsday, expanding her…
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Finding Strength Beyond My Limits: A Journey Beyond and to Stanley Hot Springs
Erika’s “relaxing” camping trip to Stanley Hot Springs became a 6-mile lesson in humility through Idaho’s Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Wrong turns, heavy packs, and trail-side breakdowns taught her something crucial: your brain lies about your limits, and sometimes accepting help is the strongest thing you can do. A refreshingly honest recovery story about finding resilience in…
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Desiderata by Max Ehrmann: “Go placidly amid the noise and haste”
The timeless wisdom of “Desiderata” resonates deeply with those of us on the recovery journey, particularly in times of profound change and challenge. Just as I wrote yesterday about transforming fear into freedom and finding serenity amid political uncertainty, Max Ehrmann’s 1927 prose poem offers a gentle reminder that peace and strength can be found…
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Beyond a Dark Time – Embracing the Growth of Lawrence Long, a Man Who Chose Change
In life, people are often measured by their worst moments, especially when those moments are for all to see online. In order to truly understand someone, we need to look beyond a single, shadowed moment to see the arc of their journey. Lawrence Long’s story is a powerful example of this arc. He isn’t defined