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The Addict Who Still Suffers

 Brothers and Sisters in Recovery 🙏 Yesterday was sobering — no pun intended. I learned that my very good friend’s stepbrother passed away from an overdose. It hit hard. Real hard. Because every one of us knows the truth deep down… this disease does not play fair. Addiction does not care about age, family, intelligence, kindness, or potential. It steals sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and friends. It leaves empty chairs at dinner tables and broken hearts that never fully heal. And the hardest part? Most of us know that person could have been us. Some of us have overdosed and somehow made it back. Some of us woke up in hospital beds. Some of us were brought back with Narcan. Some of us buried friends we laughed with just weeks before. We’ve watched addiction turn beautiful souls into statistics. That reality should shake every recovering addict to the core. But here’s what I also know: recovery gives us a responsibility. We are not just staying clean for ourselves anymore. We ar...
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Embracing Change in Recovery

 Brothers and Sisters in Recovery 🙏


Dealing with change can feel like the ground beneath us just gave out. One moment things seem steady, and the next, everything we counted on is gone or shifting—jobs, relationships, even our own sense of control. That kind of disruption can shake us to the core if we let it.


But here’s the truth: change itself isn’t the enemy. It’s how we respond to it that defines our recovery. When life flips upside down, we’re given a choice. We can resist it, fight it, and stay stuck… or we can lean into it, trust the process, and allow it to shape us into something stronger.


Growth in recovery rarely comes from comfort. It comes from those moments when we don’t have all the answers, when we’re forced to rely on something greater than ourselves. Turning it over to our Higher Power isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom. It’s understanding that we don’t have to control everything to move forward.


Sometimes change will redirect us down paths we never expected to walk. At first, those paths can feel uncomfortable, even frightening. But often, they lead us exactly where we need to be—not where we thought we wanted to go, but where we can grow the most. What feels like a setback today can become a turning point tomorrow.


So if you’re facing change right now, don’t run from it. Stand in it. Let it teach you. Let it strengthen your faith. Let it deepen your recovery. Trust that even in the uncertainty, you’re being guided somewhere meaningful.


Stay grounded in today. Keep moving forward, one step at a time. Trust the journey, even when you can’t see the destination. This program works if you work it, and you’re worth it.


With love and gratitude,

Gary G.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 1, 2026 at 2:42 AM

    Gary - you are so right, we gain wisdom and strength from adversity & rarely from comfort. I also believe that “surrender” isn’t failure - it’s faith. You have inspired me again today with your words, a reminder that recovery is real & is achievable! Thank you.

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