Deeper understanding of recovery

My Name is Damon, I am an alcoholic in recovery. 

I was lucky enough to come across the #RecoveryHour at the start of the Covid19 Pandemic in March 2020 when my fellowship zoom meetings were cancelled. 

First year of recovery

At 11 months sober at that time I had only experienced AA and 12 step based recovery meetings with other Alcoholics. Recovery hour was a very different and enlightening way of exploring aspects of recovery I was not even aware of.

I met other addicts of all types in recovery from substance and the addictive behaviours such as gambling, co-dependency and eating disorders. I very quickly realised I identified with aspects of addiction I had no idea existed in me. 

Being a host

Hosting the Monday night Topic meetings has given me a change in understanding of myself. Speakers who have shared their message of recovery and transformation have taught me so much. More and more it has taken me to new places of understanding than my simple fellowship programme in AA that I could never have found solely in a 12 step environment. The steps taught me the process of becoming a sober person, but left a lot of questions around my relationship with alcohol and substances that drove me to become dependent on them in my early recovery.  Meeting and talking to people in recovery showed me there was more to be discovered, brought out and worked on. 

Variety of topics

Recovery hour sessions have taught me much about my childhood, my learned behaviours and coping mechanisms in  life.  Meeting  groups of people who have become trusted friends. Friends with whom I feel safe sharing honestly with and can listen to guidance on all areas of recovery, emotional, financial, physical, spiritual. All aspects of growth and development to give me a transformation in my approach and outlook to life in recovery. 

Enter a process

Recovery Hour over the past year has changed my life. I been able to reconnect with parts of myself I had forgotten or hidden good and bad.  I have recovered memories and experiences that validate me today as well as working through some painful experiences that were blocking my growth emotionally and spiritually through group work and meditation. 

The climb

Monday Topic meetings have challenged me to seek and research topics for group meetings which explore aspects of the 12 steps to a deeper level. We have looked at understanding our resentments to a path of forgiveness, how our sense of identity affects our self esteem and how to increase our self worth.

We studied emotional sobriety with the Tiebout Papers and Jungs archetypes, looking at our identity and roles, all of this work expanded my understanding and connection with the groups who are now close friends.

Gratitude

It is my honour to witness moments of realisation in people, speakers from around the world who have given their time and experiences to so many.