Recovery Rises ISSUE 3 | Page 12

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A is for Addict, which today I accept

unmanageable. Under a carpet of denial for years it's been swept.

For Ache and for Anger, so frequently felt

In self pity city, cursing the hand I'd been dealt.

B is for Brown, blow, Benzo's and Booze

Never thought when I took them there'd be so much to lose.

Powerless, unmanageable, as it says in Step One'

Finally Beaten surrendered, and found that I'd won.

C is for Crack which first made me so high,

Then it grabbed me and robbed me till I wished I would die.

For Community, Conscience, and the Chance I've been given

To be Challenged to Change and find a new way of living.

D is for Drugs, they got me out of my mind

But if I feed my Disease it's only Death that I'll find

For the two Dogs in struggle, one is Dark and one light

And the Decision I've made - feed not the wrong but the right.

E is for Ecstasy, when I'd Dance through the night

And for the Effort and Energy to keep in the light

Each day without warning, my thinking's off beam

Enter the part of the illness that's low self Esteem.

F is for Fantasy, Failure and Fear

Three demons destroying my life year by year

Faith, Friendship and Freedom can all come to pass

Put recovery First to make all things First class.

G is for Guilt a close partner of shame

I always ran from it, finding others to blame

Now I can name it and Give it a voice

It's all down to finding a God of my choice.

H is for Hangovers, Heroin and Hate

believe that a Having a life unfulfilled I believed was my fate

Power greater than Now hope has returned in this Haven we've created

ourselves could Mostly through Honesty which can't be penetrated.

restore us to sanity.

I is for Insecurity, it was hard to refuse

Full of anger and resentment I'd Isolate and use

Impressions were Important - I wanted to win

But the outside won't matter if there's Insanity within.

J is for Jail, a price I will pay

If I ever forget that it's Just for today

Justification and Jangling poured from my gob

Now there's Joy in my heart and it's an inside Job.

K is for Kindness, which for addicts can Kill

It takes tough love and action to puncture self will

"Keep coming back" is the mantra, take your coffee and sit

Use your ears and your mouth they're your arse saving Kit.

L is for lonely, lost, listless and lies

Long come with a vengeance - my spirit it dies

Learning how to Love me, is the answer I'm after

Life on Life's terms through tears and through Laughter.

M is for Methadone, a green maintenance diet

To get crime figures down, and to keep addicts quiet

But the Madness and Mayhem are still within range

Because it's Me Myself that needs the Miracle of change.

N is for Narcotics, whatever their class

If you're an addict like me they can all bite your ass

Negative thinking, "Not Me" - "Not worth it" you say

There's a New life available free through NA.

A is For

STEP 1 We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.

STEP 2 Came to believe that a

Power greater

than ourselves could restore

us to sanity.