“Crystal Meth is not the problem, I’m the problem!” —Heard in meetings. We all know crystal meth is a powerful drug—when we met Tina, a lot of us were hooked at once. We were no match for it. Everything seemed fine “B.C.” (before crystal) and it all fell apart “A.C.” (after crystal). If only we […]
“Wear your recovery like a loose garment.” —Heard in the rooms I missed my meeting today—there goes my 90 in 90! I’m only on Step 2! I forgot to send my gratitude list! Does this sound familiar? We addicts can be so hard on ourselves, especially in our early recovery. It’s like we’re punishing ourselves […]
“Jealousy is the reflection of my own dissatisfaction” -Heard in the rooms. When we are jealous of others in the rooms of CMA, we risk turning recovery into a competition. When we hear about someone getting that job, that house, or that relationship maybe we wonder why they are getting those things before us. As […]
“You spot it, you got it.” — Heard in the rooms One of the challenges in early recovery is dealing with difficult people. Some addicts are annoying or loud, or play the victim. They’re certainly not working their program the way we think they should. They hold the meeting hostage by ignoring the timekeeper. They […]
“Don’t pick up no matter what.” -Twelve Step wisdom. This suggestion bothered some of us at first. After all, “just say no to drugs” didn’t work all that well. But “don’t pick up no matter what” is so much more than saying no. It reminds me that, no matter what happens, drugs are not the […]
“We become an unconditional friend to ourselves. We get a simple and direct relationship with the way we are.” -What About Meditation? (CMA Pamphlet) In the rooms of CMA we learn to treat ourselves with the same kindness we show to other recovering addicts. Slowly we begin to internalize the love and acceptance we receive […]
“In all things, I need to remember to be gentle on myself but hard on my disease.” -CMA Member. Striving to maintain our sobriety can sometimes feel like a fight against our very selves. We can be so serious about getting to meetings and searching through our motives and intentions, it can feel like we […]
We try to live in the moment. Yesterday’s problems are yesterday’s affairs, and tomorrow’s surprises can wait until tomorrow. -Sober Toolkit. It is OK to begin your recovery from crystal meth addiction at the beginning–in this moment. You can’t have a different past but this moment is yours to create and the things you do […]
“Time is not a tool.” —Twelve Step wisdom. There is nothing more abstract than time. We can measure it—in seconds, hours, days, and years. But just the same, when we really want it to tick along at a predictable rate, it will slow to a crawl or fly by in a blur. The one unit […]
“It doesn’t matter what you call it. It doesn’t matter how you did it. It brought us to our knees, because without exception, that’s what it does.” —Are You a Tweaker? This is the first reading many of us hear when we come to CMA, and it unifies us. Some of us laugh, some cry, […]
“Keep in mind that these tools are not meant to overwhelm us. They are based on the experience of addicts who have found a solution.” -CMA Pamphlet – Sober Tool Kit In CMA we’re offered many powerful tools. Meetings, the Twelve Steps, a sponsor, literature—they’re all recommended to help us recover from our addiction […]
“Addiction was giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing to get everything back.” -Heard in a CMA meeting I never wanted to be a drug addict growing up. Who does!? But it all felt so exhilarating in the beginning. Crystal was seductive—it lured me in with a parade of beautiful […]
