"My recovery"

So before coming into Lives Lived Well (LLW) I was using drugs and living with someone who was abusive towards me. I was miserable and I was sick of living a life that was controlled by my use of drugs. So I entered detox and from there went into LLW.

It was overwhelming at first. At about the two week mark I had a moment of clarity and realised that I never had to use again. From that point forward, my life got continuously better. I had felt hope for the first time in a long time and also felt like I was going to be okay no matter what happens. I think that's called faith! From there I developed a higher power and a sense of self, and I started doing meditation which helped slow the thoughts down. Afterwards the awakening happened and I did a self-compassion meditation session with the psychologist.

I started healing my past shame and guilt which was something that in past recoveries had become what I thought impossible to overcome - and the relief I felt from that was amazing. It launched me into a place of self-discovery so a combination of cognitive behaviour therapy meditation. After seeing my caseworker and a psychologist, my life has improved tenfold and I now live in the transition house. I have continued to maintain these components of my recovery, as well as doing 12 step meetings regularly with the support of the staff.

I am now moving out of the transition phase and into independent living. I will continue to do groups run by LLW and the 12 step meetings to remain connected to my recovery and stay focused on the relationship that I'm having with myself for the rest of my life.