WFS Monday Thoughts September 28, 2020

 

“It’s a beautiful day to be sober.”  ~~Unknown “Recovery is a process.  It takes time.  It takes patience.  It takes everything you’ve got.”  ~~Unknown What is addiction, really?  It is a sign, a signal, a symptom of distress.  It is a language that tells us about a plight that must be understood."  ~~Alice Miller ___________________________________________________________________ #1 I have a life-threatening problem that once had me. I now take charge of my life and my well-being.  I accept the responsibility. ____________________________________________________________________  The WFS New Life Program Acceptance Statements are a set of tools that when practiced daily, can cement sobriety and recovery.  Our founder, Jean Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. knew for a long time that she had a problem with alcohol. Yet, through her chaotic and emotional distress, she sought to understand herself deeply and Women for Sobriety was born.  Today, women all over the world are bonded together in overcoming our addictions.   Statement #1 kicks off the WFS New Life Program with the acceptance of taking charge of our addiction.  We stand in our strength and move forward.  Recalling the eve of my first day sober, I felt angry, afraid but excited too. Fearful of the uncertainty, I felt an excitement to leave behind the daily pain and anguish.  It was a life-changing moment of rebirth and the beginning of a New Life that I am grateful for. Wherever you are in your journey, Women for Sobriety is with you.  With WFS Online and WFS Face to Face meetings (many are temporarily held online currently due to covid), there are women who understand.  If you are struggling right now, reach out.  You are not alone, there is a compassionate woman who relates and understands.  Embrace yourself and your life, you are worthy of recovery! Hugzzz Karen ```````  Hi 4C women, During this unusual time, I hear quite often that the most challenging thing is how to keep motivated.  It’s difficult enough without a pandemic with routines disrupted, social contact limited, health and financial concerns to consider. It is important to discover/uncover what motivates us to obtain and maintain our sobriety/recovery.  In order to get started or stay on track, this is a good time to evaluate or re-evaluate what you value, what’s most important to you.  This is a personal, individual assessment and I encourage you to refrain from the “shoulds” when creating this list.  I remember the first time I worked on such a list and I found myself writing a lot of shoulds.  The point of being completely honest with yourself as you write down your values, is that it has been proven that shame or guilt as a motivator simply doesn’t work.  Shame doesn’t heal addiction; it only damages it.  People who are shamed actually shut down and their personal growth stalls.  This is the time to give yourself more compassion and forgiveness.  These emotions provide a foundation of self-worthiness and self-love.  I found this quote from The Clearing website and it expresses how I view self-forgiveness:  True self-forgiveness isn’t a free pass to act poorly and cause harm to oneself and others.  Instead, it’s an expression of personal responsibility -the kind that can change your life for good.  As you practice Statement #1 and complete your values list, do you see a pattern developing?  Are you spending much of your time on the things you value?  If not, how can you work on changing that? As you begin the healing process in taking personal responsibility, remember these life lessons: You are not what happened to you in the past Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t Struggling with problems is a natural part of growing You’re not alone You are not trapped; you just need to re-learn a few things The end is a new beginning!  May this time of healing and taking responsibility be that beginning of a New Life in recovery filled with self-love, self-forgiveness and the motivation to keep moving forward, Dee   Copyright © 2020 Women For Sobriety, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the News and Announcements list from WFS Our mailing address is: Women For Sobriety PO Box 618 Quakertown, PA 18951 Add us to your address book

The Santa Way is opening September 28!

 

THRIFT STORES It's finally here! Opening Monday, September 28, at our Madison location- The Santa Way will offer our biggest selection of Christmas and holiday merchandise from now until Christmas!

HisWayInc | 582 Shields Road, Huntsville, AL 35811  About our service provider Sent by brenda@hiswayinc.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!

💫 'When Do You Stop Going To Meetings?'

 

​

When we come into the world of sobriety, we know nothing. We are products of the societies that raised us and shaped our belief system with things labeled good or bad, and right or wrong.

Once I had a firm foundation of sobriety, I had someone ask me, "when are you going to stop going to those meetings?" Others asked me when I was going to make something of my life.

So many people live their lives checking off boxes and following the pressure imposed on them by others. The truth is, we can’t disappoint anyone. People disappoint themselves with the expectations they set for whom they want us to be, or what they want us to do.

Are you fulfilling other people's expectations? Are you fulfilling your own needs? Hit reply and let me know.

Check out this week's inspiring recovery coaching about this, here, and enjoy the rest of this week's wrap up!

 Share Your Story

We have a new speaker meeting starting this Saturday! Looking for a way to offer hope? Share your experience, strength, hope, of how you found sobriety and the path you took to get there.

Sign up to share your story, here.​

Want to attend the meeting? Find all the meeting information, here.​

️Clean Cause with Wes Hurt

Wes, the founder of the Austin-based beverage company Clean Cause. He says it took over twenty years for him to start taking recovery seriously. He feels his story is typical of many people who have struggled with addiction, in that it started as experimenting, but evolved into an escape and obsession.

Listen to the whole podcast, here.​

 The Birthday Party Meeting

On Monday we have our special anniversary night! With a number of anniversaries to celebrate, we also celebrate everyone in our community - no matter how much time you have. These meetings are held on the last Monday of each month to celebrate how far we've come!

Check out the entire event schedule, here.​

 New Members

Welcome to our new members! Make sure you introduce yourself in the comments, below and we hope to see you at an online meeting soon!

​Wekesa Khakula​
​Gabriella Gonzalez​
​Klayton Killian​
​Amber Duran​
​jessica neudeck​
​Misty Montgomery​
​Kurt P​
​morgan stewart​
​Heather Masters​
​Jesse Williams​
​Christina Ledesma​
​Samara Roatch​
​Nichole Ortega​
​Darla Day​
​Jessica A​
​Patryk Szymczak​
​Raechel williams​
​John Zonneveld​
​Shelley Taylor​
​Suzanne North​
​Melissa Newman​
​Kiela Thomas​
​Lauraa Ashley​
​Melissa Hickok​
​Michele F​
​Bridget F​
​Laura Boswell​
​Denise Tuten​
​Eric F​
​Sammy Chandler​
​Lamby Nichols​
​Clifton Towns Jr​
​Anne Reid​
​Scott Smith​
​Terri C​
​Kelly DeMattos​
​Michelle Mathews​
​Javance Johnson​
​Javier del Angel​
​Susie Logan​
​Pamela Burns​
​Glenda Galbreath​
​Shane Kachnic​
​Nicole Whitehead​
​Colette Trimeloni​
​Shannon L​
​Kassidy McCauley​

Have a safe weekend everyone! And as always, reach out anytime if you need support.

If you need to find a drug rehab, please visit our rehab directory on Sober Nation..

Free Contemplating Recovery Virtual Support Groups at BALANCE

 

Free Virtual Contemplating Recovery Support Groups Next Weekend: Saturday, October 3rd, 9:30 am EST With BALANCE Founder & CEO Melainie Rogers, MS, RDN, CDN, CEDRD-S & 12:30 pm EST With Admissions Coordinator Tamar Lichtman, LMSW BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™ is proud to offer a free support group for those contemplating some form of treatment for concerns related to eating, food and body image. The group provides a supportive forum within which members can explore issues including ambivalence about engaging in treatment, recovery, resources and treatment options and knowing when and how to take the next steps towards making change.  Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, all Contemplating Recovery Groups will occur virtually. We are also increasing the amount of Contemplating Recovery groups we are offering each month to provide support to those who may be struggling during this time. The group is open to individuals seeking help and to family and loved ones. RSVP: Please confirm your attendance by replying to this email or filling out the form located here. LEARN MORE Virtual Eating Disorder Support Understanding the importance of structured group support in a time of social isolation, we are adapting to the current COVID-19 crisis by offering virtual programming and services.  Learn More About Virtual Programming  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

BALANCE eating disorder treatment center | 18 west 21st st, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010 balancedtx.com  About our service provider Sent by balance@balancedtx.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

 September 25,2020 

Life Transformation With Spiritual Support From Scripture And The 12 Steps

Psalm 22 v 24

for he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from Him but has listened to his cry for Help.

Step 2

We come to believe that Gods power can save us from ourselves.

Living a life riddled with addiction brings shame , fear , guilt , and resentment. Making us feel unworthy causing us to self-medicate to escape the pain of our poor life choices. Society labels and shames us into believing we are not worth the ground we walk on and we will never change. That my friend is a lie! We are worth it ,God thinks so and at the end of the day , that's all that matters .He hears your hurt and he knows your afflicted. He knows how the world shames you because of your inability to cope so you you self - medicate to escape reality.He also knows about the internal pain and suffering your going through. Silence the outside voices of guilt and shame , cry out to God  , take the step in trusting Him to save you ,forgive you , deliver you ,and transform you .

Psalm 107:14 

He brought them out of darkness ,the utter darkness and broke away their chains.

By Joseph Dickerson Recovery Connections Network