When I first joined here my life was totally unmanageable. I couldn't figure it out. I got out of a long term abusive relationship (some people get less jail time for murder then what I spent in my marriage), bought a new house (foreclosure). Life was good. Right???
Then why didn't I have better coping skills then to sink into drinking myself into oblivion?
I know I am on the wrong board to be posting this, but it is what it is!!!!!!!!!
I came here on the newcomers forum. A few months later, I started to post on the "family and friends" section. This board became my "family", and my "friends".
I am a "codie", through and through. I have been learning not to try to fix things, but I still have that damn "caring" thing there. I learned a lot from my abusive relationship, and I found out that leaving is not as scary as it sounds.
I am in recovery, I will always be in recovery. I came here, and so many people opened up their hearts to me. I felt loved, I felt accepted. I really didn't know what that felt like before.
I still have a lot of work to do on me, but I have done a lot of work on me also. So many I took one or two steps towards recovery, and that is the part that I want to share with others. That life doesn't have to suck, that you can leave and you can be happy. So others can see what an abusive relationship is like, and that there are others, that been there, did that, got the t shirt. That you can make changes in your life.
That is how I pay it forward.
I try to give the newcomers here, that were in the situation I was in, the understanding that I needed when I sought out help.
What I get in return, --- I will always need a reality check, and at times that SR 2x 4. My life is not perfect, and never will be. I learn how to deal with them here. If I think I will be making a possible stupid mistake, I come here first.
No man is an island, people need people, and I trust the people here. I just hope that I can help just one person, as much as this forum has helped me.
"Friends and Family" is my friends and family. I'll never leave.
Edited to add: I am usually on friends and family of alcoholics. I really don't know much about drug addiction. I just really liked this thread.