TAMMY OCT 23 2023 Finding My Tribe with Ashes to Awesome: A Journey Through Love and Addiction

Finding My Tribe with Ashes to Awesome: A Journey Through Love and Addiction

Similar to a person suffering from addiction, my healing journey isn’t linear and the path continuously changes, what I think, what I feel and my perspective are changing from day to day. I acknowledge this as growth which is due to awareness and acceptance of how addiction impacts my life and those closest to me. Growth has shown me that I can’t go over it or under it, I just have to go through it and have faith in myself that I have the ability to find a way to adapt and overcome. I have recently decided that I can’t live my life in limbo, stuck in crisis mode because of my daughter’s addiction. I have choice in this situation and the power to claim my life and how I want to live it.  

It has been awhile since my last entry and my daughter is still a hot mess but this entry is not about her. I want to talk about the importance of connection & support. Just like a person suffering in addiction lacks connection, so do we as loved ones. We could be surrounded by family and friends and feel utterly alone. We crave connection but don’t know how to find it. The strongest person may think they can handle this on their own but trust me, you can’t and you shouldn’t. The chaos and pain of addiction will wear you down, you will be on your knees pleading for help. Find your people, find your tribe. These are the people that know your pain and will understand and support you in a way that only those with lived experience can.. You will know when you find them because a shift happens, things will start to feel lighter, stress eases a bit, health symptoms improve and you might even get a good night’s sleep. Your people will give you the feeling of togetherness that you don’t have to face this battle alone.

A2A gave this to me and more. The podcast provides a safe place for me to feel whatever I need to feel on any given day. I have learned so much about addiction from the clinical side to the personal stories that I resonate with. Sharing our stories and the struggles we face helps to end stigma but it also reminds us we are not the only ones and there are many of us fighting a battle we never wanted. Feeling supported and understood gives hope the space it needs to thrive. The support, resources, love & compass

ion offered through A2A helped me to get off my knees so I could rise up to be the warrior I am meant to be!

I want to take a minute here to celebrate and congratulate Chris on his 1 year sober anniversary. His recovery journey is truly inspiring and I am grateful that he found his purpose with this podcast and his commitment to helping others heal from addiction.