I completed drug court with no probation so happy

Looking back, it's hard to believe it's been 12 months since I celebrated 7 months of sobriety. Today, at 9 pm, I'll have reached 19 months without alcohol. The journey has been long and challenging, but I'm determined to see it through. I deserve to know what it's like to live life on my own terms, to not give up on myself.

I’m so proud of myself I graduated drug court on the 20th and I will be sober for a yr on Monday and I will be moving to buffalo as well to start a new opportunity I can’t be more proud of myself

Here's what I know about people: Everybody wants something. Everybody wants to feel important, to be seen, to matter. Everyone's fighting their own battles and trying to survive in their own way. And here's what I've learned: How do you get people to care about you? You care about them first. You love them first. You show up for them first. That's how it works - whoever loves first wins. Think about it - how did your parents love you? They loved you first, before you could even love them back. I've built my whole recovery around this principle - caring genuinely about people, giving from my heart, showing up consistently. But lately, I'm really struggling with how nasty people can be. How people are all about themselves. How some people try to put others down to feel superior. My feelings have been hurt lately, which has made me reevaluate everything. The people I hang out with. The actions I take. The energy I give out. I've been giving, giving, giving, giving, giving and getting nothing in return except nastiness and hate from some people. And you know what? That's not fair anymore. Recovery has taught me something important: I can be selfish. I can be about myself. I can put me first, and it's okay to take care of me. I've had a hard life, and it's really time for me to focus on what's important and slow down. So that's what I'm going to do - I'm shutting everything down and focusing on myself for a little while. This doesn't mean I'm becoming cold or uncaring. It doesn't mean I'm going to stop loving people first or caring genuinely about others. That's who I am at my core, and recovery brought out the best in me. But it does mean I'm going to be more selective about who gets my energy. It means I'll love myself first before loving everyone else. It means I'm going to protect my peace, guard my heart, and stop letting people take advantage of my generous spirit. I'm hoping I don't hurt other people's feelings in doing this, but I need to. I need to take care of me the same way I've been taking care of everyone else.

Good morning, beautiful souls! Yesterday I was sitting at Recovery Staff Appreciation Day, waiting to go kayaking, when it hit me like a lightning bolt: I made it. I'm one of these people now. I'm a recovery advocate. I help people every day. I'm the person people call when they need to talk. I'm the person with advice. I don't have to fight drugs and alcohol every day anymore. I'm the winner. I won. Two years ago, I 100,000,000% thought I was going to be an addict for the rest of my life. I thought I'd be addicted to crack cocaine every single day forever. I never thought that desire would go away. But it did. The desire to use it every single day is gone. Instead of spending today figuring out how to get high, I'm starting my day figuring out how to help you keep going. Instead of sitting alone with my addiction, I get to be part of a community of people who understand the journey. Every day gets easier when you put down whatever is holding you back and realize your life is more important. I've become who I wanted to be, and I'm really proud of myself. I did it. And you know what? You can too. Whatever you're fighting today, whatever seems impossible, whatever you think will never change - I'm here to tell you that transformation is real. Complete, total, life-changing transformation is possible. You don't have to stay stuck. You don't have to keep fighting the same battle forever. You can become the person you want to be. Start today. Start this morning. Your future self is waiting for you. Keep going, warriors. We've got this together. 💙 What's one small step you can take today toward becoming who you want to be?