I've been in recovery for 3 years, there's been ups and there's been downs during this time. Life is that way, there couldn't possibly be another way of living as there's so much out of our personal control. It took me a little while to realise this as when ever tough times had come along in previous non-using times, I had gone straight back to using. I had no other way of dealing with the crap, life threw at me.
The problem was I saw myself as a victim and that I had it hard. The truth is I made life choices at a young age that I was now paying for, I myself was not a victim of anyone but myself. When this finally sank in with me, I knew that I had to stop moping around and take responsibility for my responses to these things that came at me in life, the good, the bad and the ugly, and try to deal with them in a positive fashion. I was only able to do this with support from others in recovery alongside professional support/direction.
Just realising that I had options in the choices I made, i.e. to use or not essentially, was like being set free in itself, and it laid the foundations for me to build my recovery on.
Thank you to everyone who played a part in helping me to realise my potential.
