Back with the Good, Bad, and Ugly of My Addiction Recovery

Here I am. It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Not because I don’t have anything to say about recovery anymore, but just because life gets busy sometimes. The last couple of years have not let me down in that area, that’s for sure. We’ve settled into life in Alabama, and I am in love …

Sobriety, Depression, and Answered Prayers

It's been a while! I haven't updated my blog for quite a long time, for various reasons. Yes, I am still sober. No, I have not been going to very many meetings in the last year or so. That's not because I am no longer focused on my recovery, I am. I've just found that …

Why Do Some Make It While Others Don’t?

It's been a while! Life has been busy and this blog has suffered, but I'll save the update on life for another post. I feel like I need to write about something else right now. A couple of days ago, my husband and I went to a meeting. We met a friend of ours there …

Some Basics For Building A Spiritual Practice To Support Your Recovery – Guest Post

I'm excited for you to read this guest post from a fellow recovery writer, Rose Lockinger. Every piece of her writing that I have read has been an inspiration to me; I think it will be for you, too.  Enjoy! ~Jami When I first got sober I was so confused about spirituality and religion. Having …

Recovering, or Recovered? Which am I?

It’s been nearly four years since I took my last drink of alcohol, and since that time I have been to literally hundreds of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. It’s customary to introduce yourself before you speak at a meeting. I always say, “Hi, I’m Jami and I’m an alcoholic.” Some people introduce themselves differently, but it’s …

Know Thyself – But Is It Enough?

The other day, my husband, stepson and I were in the car, coming home from shopping, and we were having a discussion about why we each behave the way we do. I'm not sure how exactly we got on this subject, but that often seems to be the way that important conversations start. My stepson, …

A New Freedom

Happy 4th of July! It's a day that we celebrate freedom, and for me that means reflecting on the things that used to enslave me, from which I'm now free. The biggest of which is active alcoholism.  I wrote an article for Step 12 Magazine, which they were kind enough to make their cover story for …

Winning the Shame Game

I write another blog on the HealthyPlace.com website called Trauma! A PTSD Blog about my experiences with posttraumatic stress disorder (please check it out). My latest post there is about dealing with the shame that comes from being a victim of trauma. That got me to thinking about the shame that accompanies alcoholism, and I …

Surrender to Win

There is a paradox in Alcoholics Anonymous that tells us that we must "surrender to win." When I first entered AA, I thought that it seemed kind of crazy that I would have to surrender, or give up, in order to get better. Wasn't that was I was already doing? I sure felt like I …

Alcohol Awareness Month

It's April and that means it's Alcohol Awareness Month. Every year the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence sponsors this month to increase public awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage people to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues. And each year for the last three, I have spoken about alcoholism awareness at the college where …