Field Guide to Life
Remember Your Consequences
Addiction is a serious and progressive disease. You may have tried to quit using, but without drugs in your system, you felt lower than low. Your body became chemically out of balance, and your cravings grew stronger. Your use became worse over time, no doubt, and you built up a tolerance, needing more and more of the drug to get high. After a while, your brain adapted to repeated drug use, overriding your rational thought process. As the disease of addiction began to control you, your life became more and more unmanageable—even when you risked losing everything you value.
Remember, no matter how harsh the consequences, you are capable of healing—like many others before you. As you become stronger and more healthy and confident, it’s important to remember how unmanageable your life used to be when you were using drugs.
Action for the Day
Try to remember the moment when you first realized you had crossed the line into addiction. Did your addiction cause harsh consequences with family, friends, or employers? Did you suffer financial, legal, or health consequences? Remember that these are good reasons to keep practicing abstinence.
Thought for the Day
“In recovery, we are not bad people becoming good; we are sick people becoming well
