walkingthroughaddiction

I spent most of my life waiting for the next crisis. I am not powerless, but for many years I gave my power away. I believed other people were making my life miserable. If they would just stop. If they would only change. If they didn't do this or that. I was convinced my peace depended on someone else's behavior. What I eventually learned was that no one outside of me was the problem—or the solution. The only person I have the power to change is myself. I am not a victim. I have choices. I can say no. I can say, "I need some time to think about that." I can pause. I can do nothing. I can choose where I focus my energy and where I allow my thoughts to go. I cannot lessen my addicted loved one's pain by carrying it inside of me. Some of these lessons I had to learn over and over again. The truth is, until I finally accepted that I was powerless over my son's drug use, I remained trapped in my own cycle of relapse—letting go, then stepping back in and trying to m...