When I crossed the invisible line from drug use into addiction, the hopelessness of my situation seemed beyond any human or divine power. Like mostaddicts, I explored several avenues to assuage my state of despair: excessive exercise, a move across town, counseling, church, prayer and on the list goes. The consequences— restraining order from my husband or estranged relations with my mother and sister—did not keep me sober, but desperation they delivered gave me the final willingness to seek treatment.
Hope in the Midst of Drug and Alcohol Addiction
In the darkness of a hotel room, the universe pointed me toward hope. I was led to a drug rehab center that taught recovery in the form of the twelve steps and the spiritual solution. Even though I was skeptical, I was completely out of options. This bottom is the gift of desperation many addicts need to turn the corner.
I clearly needed power to function and live, but how to access this power was my dilemma. The only evidence that a spiritual awakening could deliver me out of my darkness was the group of women I lived with and the staff who helped me work the steps. They were flesh and blood examples of how a spiritual way of life can trump addiction.
Although the process of working the steps looked tedious and elusive, I listened to the people at this alcohol rehab center, people just like me. I relied on their experiences with the steps until I could have my own. Only one addict talking to another addict can make the necessary vital connection.
The Journey to Permanent Sobriety
On a hill, in the middle of Austin, Texas, at this drug rehab center, I had a psychic transformation. The hopelessness slowly dissipated. A relationship to a power greater than myself was established. It is this connection that sustained me through early recovery. I did not have to drink alcohol or consume copious amounts of alcohol to get me through difficult times like giving up custody of my children. Instead, I coped with painful emotions through acceptance, gratitude and the constant thought of what I could do for others. Continuously working the twelve steps gives me the necessary power and confidence to deal with situations that had derailed me in the past.
Today, I am a living testament to the spiritual solution I received at that alcohol rehab center in Austin, Texas. I am happy to work with other women, shoulder to shoulder, so that the path through addiction to recovery grows wider for those who follow.
