BlueChair

I have been thinking about the stages it takes to get to acceptance. These are working concepts for me. I thought I would share them, and maybe people would like to talk about their own experiences with each stage in the process. (Denial, Anger, Fear, Grief, Acceptance)

GRIEF

Grief is the normal process of reacting to loss. The loss can be physical, or symbolic. Grief brings about its own inner feelings of anger, sadness, depression, hopelessness. Grief has its own stages to conquer: wanting back what was lost, sadness and a feelings of being confusion and disorganization, then finding structure once again.

This reminds me of the apple cart. The apple cart is overturned, all the apples scatter about. My first reaction is to want the apples back in the cart, I scurry to locate them but don’t know where they fit in the cart, Im sad and panicked. Slowly I place the apples back inside, accepting some are bruised or lost. At some point it seems neat and organized again.

We mourn things we think we will never have again in our lives. Focusing on things that are static and solid in our lives can help to overcome these feelings. Appreciating what we have, not focusing on what we have lost makes for a more positive outlook.

cleaninLI

I think for me grief was the beginning of my recovery. It made me realize that I couldn't keep the people in my life who I loved the most if I continued to take the pills. Knowing that change was emanate the [end of a chapter in my life] was sad in itself.

But then there was the grief or loss of no longer having my "crutch" in life. At the time when I finally realized that I needed to change, the pills had become my life....I counted them many times a day. I had certain hiding places where I stored them. They went with me wherever I went. My mood was dependent on how many pills were in my pocket. I was super happy if I had a good supply....anxious and depressed if my supply was low.
My life was pills. So I certainly grieved the end of my pill popping phase.

giliji

I feel like I am stuck in grief. It hurts deep within me. It definitely feels like loss. The loss of him. The loss of the daddy I knew my kids were going to have. My husband is still mostly himself. I fear the progression of the addiction. I'm not sure if this makes sense or not.

Neagrm

One think I've learned is - grief is hard work and is painful; it has to be done to move forward; when I grieve it is a sign of healing and means I'm moving into acceptance. Grief is a good thing, a healthy thing; to mourn is to accept.

PinkCloudsCharley

I am stuck in anger right now. I go between the stages, and have felt most of them, but anger is the one that resonates deep within me for the most part. I would love to move away from it, but something brings me back, which means I haven't completely dealt with it.