1) There is so much involved in each individual's addiction that it can't be completely addressed in a narrow manner. When we are just getting started dealing with ourselves and our addictions this is necessary. This part of recovery, as far as I'm concerned, shouldn't last longer than is absolutely necessary.
2) I don't focus solely on what is commonly accepted as an addiction. If we look at the world and people around us we'll see that almost everyone is practicing some form of addictive behavior. These tendencies are what make it possible for drug companies to sell drugs to people that don't need them. These same behaviors and tendencies make it possible for institutions like governments and corporations to constantly lie to people and still have the peoples faith, trust and even admiration.
3) Recovering from something like drug addiction and alcoholism is not, necessarily, a life long process. The process changes as we change. At some point we move from recovery from addiction into becoming what we want to be as human beings. The slogan used here at dgswilson.com is - Getting Started On The Self Determined Path. Getting started is just that, it doesn't suggest this is all there is.
4) In order to continue on and develop ourselves to full human potential we basically have to start over. We prepare the way for this starting over in early recovery. As soon as this early stage is complete, in other words when we're done with the major physical withdrawal, we move on to a new path. This path doesn't begin in treatment. The path to being human starts before we were ever addicted.
5) Staying stuck in treatment mode isn't what I would call a healthy place to be. What being human means to me is finding out everything I can about what being human means. Not just what someone, or some group, says it means. Listening to one person or group is limiting. What I like to do, discuss and find out about is human potential.
6) Once I got established and involved in developing my own human potential I became the opposite of addiction minded. We can move into any intentional human condition of our choosing. Conditions where using drugs, being overly dependent, being depressed, sad, angry etc. ceases to exist for us.
Where to Begin
That just depends on where you are. Are you using drugs, eating yourself to death, in an abusive situation? If you are into something that is hurting you and others stick to the main pages. You can cover this portion of the site in a few weeks. Do Not, not contact me for any reason. Whatever you want to talk about - talk about it. Don't understand something? Talk about it - tell me. It takes about 30 seconds to send me a message and never longer than two days for me to answer.The first part of this website attempts to address the initial stages of addiction treatment and recovery. What I wrote first focuses on some tried and true systems for getting free of our physical addictions. These chapters and the pages included in them remain as they were originally written. They are filled with, things to do right now...today.
Not Addicted - But Not Happy
Not happy is along the same lines as being an addict. If possible, discard the "life is hard and no one said we should be happy" rhetoric. I, for one say, "You will be whatever you decide". Keeping in mind that we are living on earth and we don't know what the limits of human potential are. This translates into - Things Take Time. One advantage to this is it takes a while for bad things to happen too. It wouldn't work well if things were too instantaneous. So if we decide to be happy - we get started.The pages that deal with life after addiction, or everything that is not addiction specific, will be found on the dynamic part of the site. There are two main blogs. The addiction help blog, and the watching the world blog.
People with addictions will find keeping abreast of world events helpful on their path to being human and researching human potential. This is all part of the new path. Actually it's all part of my path. Everything I've found helpful and interesting on my journey I've tried to include here. This website covers my life in recovery and everything since. I look forward to the time when others start to really participate and bring more helpful things here for the ones who will arrive in the future.
