26 Comments
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Jonathon M. Seidl's avatar

As I was working in my book last week, I wrote this line and I stopped myself in my tracks. Guilty!

“The irony is that you're more OK when you're talking about how you're not OK than when you're pretending to be OK.”

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Yes!! I feel like now that I’m in the deep end of things with recovery, I cannot UNKNOW what I’ve learned about myself. That’s the reward and the punishment I guess! 😅

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Josh Luton's avatar

Thanks again for the inclusion here, Allison. For me, recovery is all about reconnection to self, which allows a deeper connection to others.

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Allison Deraney's avatar

I feel that so much. Thanks for showing up as you do, Josh!

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Dee Rambeau's avatar

Blessings to you for this essay and your continued efforts to shine a light on recovery. Thanks for including and inspiring me. 🙏❤️

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Allison Deraney's avatar

That's the gift of doing this work. Continuous inspiration. It's a circle that keeps on going. I appreciate you, Dee!

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Amy Brown's avatar

So much I could relate to here. Thank you for shining your beautiful, vulnerable and honest light. It helps me to find my way, too.💗

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Thank you, Amy. I’m so grateful to be walking this path alongside you. We all walk each other home, right?

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Jessica Watkins's avatar

So nailed 👏 it with your quotes!

Also in recovery x 13 years....always grateful for how sobriety has taught the art of slowing down and being grateful for the little things.

Fav. Quote (don't know where it came from or could have been a meme on fb 🤣)

"I'm living out many of the things I used to pray for."

Thanks for sharing!

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Love that Jessica! Congrats on 13 years!!!! That’s so awesome 👏🏼

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Samantha Perkins's avatar

I love what you are doing with your writing and how you are sharing stories of recovery this month! Everything you said resonates, so much to recover from once you remove alcohol and what a privilege to be able to do so!

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Privilege, indeed! Thanks for being here Samantha!

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Trevy Thomas's avatar

No bottom here. No program. Just a change which, for me, is like so many others and I'm grateful for it.

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Yes, Trevy! A bottom is not a prerequisite for change.

Thanks for sharing here!

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Crystal C's avatar

I love that! "The sun has only one day. How will you spend yours?" Thank you SO much for sharing your heart and for the quotes today. I love quotes:) One that resonated with me recently is from Carl Bard: "Though noone can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Yes!!!! I feel that in my bones! Thanks for sharing that here, Crystal. I love quotes, too 🥰

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Allison Deraney's avatar

And I love how nicely that quote intersects and relates to sobriety/recovery (recovery of anything, really!). We are not our past. We can change and re-write our stories.

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Dana Leigh Lyons's avatar

Thanks so much for the mention, Allison, and for your beautiful writing and presence in the world. I feel truly grateful to know you and to be walking alongside you on this path. All the hearts. ❤️

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Allison Deraney's avatar

I appreciate you & all you do Dana!💞💞

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Benjamin's avatar

Restoration is the word I’m living into at the moment. Wondering how it converges with,and diverges from, recovery.

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Oh, I like that, Benjamin! Restoration, to me, feels like a refinement. Shining up something that was always there. Something that perhaps has always been there so no need to recover it. Restore it.

I particularly like the both/and you provide. The convergence and the divergence. Thanks for sharing.

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Benjamin's avatar

Recovery feels like a finding of something that was lost, or a reclaiming. It also, in some contexts, suggests a waiting for something to return to its original state. Restoration feels like a lot more work, with cost and struggle associated with it.

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Like restoring to some kind of factory setting.

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Yes!!!! I feel that in my bones! Thanks for sharing that here, Crystal. I love quotes, too 🥰

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Frankie Chocolate's avatar

Al. How wonderful to hear about your journey. My dad and brother both died young from booze. As a young boy I saw what it did to my father so I decided in my teens I just wasn’t gonna drink at all. I went into other stupid things but drink was never a problem.

Thanks for sharing.

The Bible says draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Submit urself to God first, then resist the devil and he will run from you.

It’s my prayer as you and I do this our lives will be full to overflowing with all the good he has for us.

Happy Sunday

Go to church.

Your friend

Frankie Chocolate

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Thanks Frankie.

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