Progress Not Perfection
My name is Lauren and I am an addict. I celebrated my nine months clean on January 29th. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s progress not perfection. At times I get down on myself because I feel like I should be further along then I am. It’s because I sometimes set some unrealistic goals in short periods of time. When I don’t reach or achieve these goals in the planned time, I get discouraged.
Obtainable Goals
Lately I have been making smaller, more realistic and obtainable goals for myself. For instance, I made one goal to job search for a more secure job that appreciates what I put in as a employee. This is a goal which I am slowly still working on. I also made the goal to pick up a service commitment outside of my home group. I will now be speaking at the detox on February 7th. To be able to return to detox and share my story is exciting. To be able to possibly reach another addict and give them hope is humbling.
Vigilant in Recovery
It reminds me that I must remain vigilant in my recovery because we are all just one choice away from relapse. Sometimes I need to take a hard look at where I was and how far I really have come in the past nine months. Today I am clean, I am able to be a mother to my kid, I am active in my recovery, I have held a job for over two years and I love myself. I am not the girl I used to be. I am a better version of myself, making progress day by day. Perfection isn’t even anything I would want to try to attain. In recovery, there’s no such thing as perfection. It’s progress not perfection we strive for in our recovery.
Grateful recovering addict, Lauren