Stuff People with 30 Days Say

We all say a lot of things, all the time. I mean saying stuff is how we communicate. Luckily, and humorously, those of us in recovery tend to say a lot of the same things. And that’s because we all struggle with the same thing: addiction and alcoholism. People at certain points in their recovery say a lot of things we have all heard before. These things range from excuses all the way to what we want to do with our day (think Starbucks and Atlantic Ave.) Whatever it is, looking back on it or thinking about it is pretty funny.

Here is some of the most common Stuff People with 30 Days Say:

“I think I am ready to go home” If you think you are ready to go home after 30 days you most likely have fallen under the delusion that because you feel better you actually are well. Let me tell you from personal experience, that when I got 9 months I looked back at myself at 30 days and literally went, “Oh. My. God. Why?” I was still out of my mind.

“I don’t need to go to a halfway house” I am going to say this in pretty plain terms, yes you do. Most people do. It doesn’t mean you don’t have your stuff together it just means you are willing to take suggestions. Going to a halfway house entails learning humility and keeping yourself safe. A halfway house is always great way to get connected to the recovery community. I mean, if you want to be sober and what not.

“I know what I need to do, I just need to do it” Knowing what you need to do for one, as an addict, is not normal. Most addicts and alcoholics have no idea what they need to do and that is a perfectly acceptable place to be in. Also knowing what you need to do and actually doing it are two totally separate things. As you might recall from the last time you probably said that.

“I really do need that Valium though, I have anxiety” You should probably talk to your doctor about this one and what I mean by talk to your doctor is not see if he thinks you need the medication but tell him you are an addict. Most doctors prescribe that kind of medication unknowingly or without all the information like that you just went to detox for that medication. Also there are always alternatives to taking a prescription narcotic but it is not up to me to say what you should and shouldn’t do in this instance.

“Let’s go get tattoos” Remember earlier when I shared the bit about looking back at having 30 days and seeing how out of my mind I was. Can you imagine if during that time that I went and got something permanent inked on my body? Yeah. It is pretty self-explanatory. First, don’t make any permanent decisions at 30 days and second, how can you afford a tattoo?

“Want to go to the beach and get coffee?” Going to the beach and getting coffee is perfectly acceptable if you have the time and you shouldn’t be out looking for a job, at a meeting, meeting with a sponsor etc. etc. I did plenty of this at 30 days so I am not knocking it. But make sure you have your priorities in order. Oh and if you are going to meet someone of the opposite sex be wary. Ok? Ok.

“Let’s go to Spot” See above comment about beach and coffee. No but really. This is totally fine if you don’t have other things you should be doing like meeting with sponsees, meeting with your sponsor, looking for a job. You might actually meet with people here and that is cool. Spot is especially not cool if you were asked on a date here to me said girl or guy. Maybe it is cool? What do I know? All I know is I have been there done that and it isn’t as awesome as you think it is. Oh and pick your cigarette butts up.

“I have 30 days today” That is amazing!! Right on!! But our work is never finished. This is a continual progression of the human spirit. Yes, it is. Staying sober is a mighty feat. Just remember though it is about the quality of the time you have not the quantity. You can make those 30 days really matter and have better sobriety than someone with 30 years if you keep up the good work!

“Why don’t my parents trust me?” Because you spent the” however long amount of time” breaking it. It may take years before your parent’s trust you, and it may actually, never happen again. Expecting your parents to trust you at 30 days is way unrealistic. If they do that is awesome. Keep putting in the action. If not, don’t worry about it; just keep putting in the action. Don’t get upset. Understand where they are coming from. I mean you did steal from your mom’s wallet and start lying from the moment you realized that drugs might solve all your problems. Put yourself in their shoes.

“IOP is a waste of time” Absolutely nothing you can do to better your recovery is a waste of time especially if it was suggested to you. The only way you can waste your time is by doing other things not for your recovery that you may want to do. IOP is can help you stay safe and get connected to a fellowship or recovery community if you will.