| Pills
Anonymous is a fellowship of people
for whom prescription drugs has become
a serious problem. The members of Pills
Anonymous meet regularly, share support
and fellowship, and create a safe environment
in which to stay clean.
The fellowship advocates complete abstinence
from prescription drugs, alcohol, all
medication taken not as prescribed,
as well as all other mind altering substances.
Prayer
and meditation are important parts of
our program. Some of us are suspicious
at first, fearing that we will be made
to believe certain things. We may also
react to our past experiences with organized
religion.
This
is a spiritual program, but we can define
for ourselves the nature of our personal
relationship with spirituality. For
now, we can accept that something has
helped many people stay clean and sober.
We will begin to define our relationship
with spirituality as we work the Twelve
Steps with a sponsor.
What
are the Twelve Steps?
The Twelve Steps are a set of principles
designed to produce a spiritual awakening.
The Steps promote actions that help
us to achieve and maintain sobriety.
They offer a plan for recovery that
helps repair the damage our addiction
to pills has caused. The steps guide
us in new ways of living to create a
fulfilling life in recovery.
Staying
clean is our primary goal. When our
actions are consistent with our principles,
we can have inner peace, honesty and
serenity.
Why
One Day at a Time?
For most of us, the idea of never using
again is impossible. If we focus on
forever, we may lose sight of what we
can do today. We can make a commitment
to not use just for today. For some
of us, that commitment had to be: "I
won't use, just for the next hour."
Staying in the here and now makes sobriety
possible. Yesterday is gone; we can't
say what tomorrow will bring. For these
reasons we say that we stay clean one
day at a time. There is an old saying
- "If you have one foot in the
past and one foot in the future, you're
pissing on the present." We don't
want to do that.
What
about Relapse?
Relapse doesn't have to be
a part of our program. If we sincerely
want to stay clean, the program makes
it possible for us to not use drugs
again - one day at a time.
For
some of us, relapse has been a part
of our path. We may not have been convinced
we were addicts, and therefore hadn't
effectively worked the First Step:
"We
admitted that we were powerless over
pills and that our lives had become
unmanageable."
It
is easier to stay clean than to get
clean. Using again starts the cycle
of craving. It is important to quickly
break the pattern of relapse.
If
we do relapse, we can learn from our
mistakes, uncovering what elements may
have been missing in our program. We
suggest rigorous honesty and return
immediately to meetings.
If
you feel you may relapse we suggest
you reach out. Call your Sponsor or
someone from the program, get to a meeting
and discuss the urge to use.
What
about Alcohol and other Drugs?
Many of us struggled with the suggestion
that we should give up alcohol and all
other drugs along with pills. For some
of us, prescription drugs can be a gateway
to using other drugs. Dangerous rationalizations
such as "But I'm not an alcoholic"
or "A joint every now and then
won't hurt" can lead us down the
path of addiction once again. After
a few drinks we may find ourselves looking
for drugs and entering the addictive
cycle again.
The
first step in recovery is to admit that
we are addicts. Even if we are not addicted
to other specific drugs, medical evidence
tells us our addiction can easily transfer
to other substances or behaviors. This
is called "cross addiction,"
and our experience shows us it is a
very real danger.
What
about other programs?
The behaviors of addiction
may differ from program to program,
but the principles of recovery remain
the same. Pills
Anonymous is based on the Twelve Steps
of Alcoholics Anonymous. All Twelve
Step programs share the tools of spiritual
living that help us stay clean. Many
of us attend other fellowships, but
the feeling of identification in the
rooms of PA keeps us coming back.
How
can I stay clean?
We practice three basic actions for
recovery:
1.
Meetings & Fellowship
Our experience has shown that
one of the most effective tools to stay
clean is daily attendance at Twelve
Step meetings. For most of us, active
addiction was a very lonely place. Surrounding
ourselves with others who are in recovery
may be uncomfortable at first, but helps
with the fear, sadness and isolation
that our addiction created.
Meetings
offer a supportive framework, and allow
us to hear how others have stayed clean
and sober. Immersing ourselves in the
program gives us the opportunity to
change our ways of thinking and emphasizes
new ideas that support recovery. Finding
new friendships that value sobriety
over using is an important aspect of
our program. Many people in the program
refer to "90 in 90" - a suggestion
newcomers attend 90 meetings in 90 days.
2.
Sponsorship & Step Work
A Sponsor is a person in the
program who we choose to offer us guidance
in working the Twelve Steps. "Working
the Steps" means understanding
what the Steps mean, and finding ways
to apply them in our daily lives.
Sponsors
share their experience strength, and
hope. Sponsors describe the way they
have stayed clean, and will make suggestions
to help us maintain our sobriety. Sponsors
don't loan money, act as therapists,
or tell us what to do.
3.
Service & Commitments
One of the ways we keep our sobriety
is by helping others to stay clean.
Service in the program refers to working
with others to help them stay sober.
A commitment is a responsibility we
take, on a volunteer basis, at a specific
meeting or place, like Center
For Recovery in Concord, CA. Commitments
keep us attending our meetings regularly,
help others in the program get to know
us, and provide us with the satisfaction
of following through on what we've committed
to do.
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