Like Minds Offer Support


Two people dead, 5 weeks in a coma, a leg amputated.

A child shaken so hard, her neck snapped.

Stabbed in the back and left for dead.

Two teens killed.

A father of three dead.

In case you haven’t figured it out, these are consequences of recent cases of drinking or drugging here in the county where I live. This reminds me that there is no way of knowing where that first drink or hit will take me.

Am I tempted? You bet. There are times when I do not want to feel what I am feeling. There are people I do not want to face. There are times when I do not want to go on living.

So, I just “suit up and show up.” (“Easy for you to say” you respond. “If you had my life you would drink or drug too. Poor me, poor me, pour me another drink.”)

Courage. Being absolutely petrified yet taking action anyway. (“Okay, where is this going?” you ask.)

Where do I go for support? Where do I get courage? A lot of it comes from face to face meetings in my community. There are people I can talk to who understand what is going on in my head.

There is a lot of support available on the internet. Name your spirituality (or lack of it) and find a group of like minded folks. Lots of folks out there remain clean and sober.

There is a beautiful essay “To the Newcomer” written by N.A. member Steve N. On this page is a list of links that are worth exploring as well.

If you are interested in exploring the world of 12 step groups start your search here at Online Recovery. (I knew there were a lot, but on this page I lost count.)

Sober Recovery claims to have “over 2100 recovery resources” and “over 2300 links for mental health and recovery.”

How other people stay sober can be found at What Keeps You Sober. Sober Times also has pages of Personal Experiences of “chemically dependent individuals.” The authors has written a great essay on Barriers to Sobriety. Tip number 2 has a detailed description of developing critical thinking skills. That is something I didn’t seem to get the hang of until I had been sober awhile.

I will leave you with Addicts Anonymous. Here you will find links to the official (and not so official) websites of several 12 step oriented organizations.

The copyright of the article Like Minds Offer Support in Substance Abuse Recovery is owned by De Williams. Permission to republish Like Minds Offer Support in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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