Kids, don't do drugs. Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

dragonlady's den

Well, my daughter has now been clean for over three weeks and is looking forward to her NA meeting next Monday night, where she will get her 30-days-clean keychain. My whole world changed the day I found out she was addicted to crack, and I should have seen it; but I guess I just didn't WANT to see it.

I'm really quite proud of her for the things she's accomplished in the last 3 weeks; telling the family, turning over her money management to me, attending NA meetings regularly, cutting off the "friends" she was hanging with, going to the health department for addictions and mental health counseling. I was with her at her 2nd NA meting, and when she stood up and said, "Hi, my name is J---, and I'm an addict," I was hit with a bolt of emotion that I just cannot describe. It was partly grief, partly agony, partly pride, and partly hope. And when they gave out keychains for being clean for certain amounts of time, and got to the "29 days or less" she got right up and got her keychain.

What I'm really thrilled about is this: she went to a meeting Friday night, and found that in this particular group, people had formed cliques, and weren't open to new people. She walked up and introduced herself to people (which is very hard for her to do) but they didn't make her feel welcome. She went home very frustrated and tense, thinking about using, and then...found another meeting that night to go to, where she talked about what had happened, and got the support she needed. She made the right decision, and I am so grateful for that.

Her home group is one that meets on saturday nights; she has made friends, and is actually helping people there as well as being helped herself. I am so hopeful! She tried once before to stop using on her own, and it didn't work. Now, with the support of her family and with taking every avenue of help available to her, I know she's going to beat this thing. It's going to be okay. There may still be some hard times ahead, but she is going to win the fight.