Yesterday I talked about the importance of attending meetings and how they work in general. True confession: I have only attended face-to-face meetings very sporadically and infrequently this year. Honestly, consistently attending meetings has seldom lasted more than 1 – 3 months.
I have a lot of reasons, rationalizations, and excuses: finances, transportation, childcare, and the logistics of meeting times/locations are the concrete issues that my denial, avoidance, and compulsions exploit and I have allowed to keep me sick, tired, and miserable.
Thankfully, there are all kinds of resources online for supporting recovery. The following organizations have websites full of information and resources for finding recovery support:
Al-Anon Family Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous
Clutterers Anonymous
Co-Dependents Anonymous
Emotions Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Overeaters Anonymous
Recoveries Anonymous: Compulsive Spending
Sexaholics Anonymous
Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
Their sites offer a variety of resources, including where, when, and what meetings are available. Meetings aren’t just local, face-to-face gatherings. There are also online, email, and telephone meetings, which are included in each site’s meeting search engine.
The meetings that I have been most successful with are hosted by an online organization centered around OA, The Recovery Group.
There are online meetings hosted here every three hours around the clock every day on the Threes, Pacific Time: 12, 3, 6 A.M. & P.M. While this organization is focused on compulsive eating behaviors and disorders such as overeating, undereating, bingeing, anorexia, bulimia, and sugar addiction, the meetings really focus on the process and tools of recovery. This group also recognizes that there are usually co-occurring compulsions, disorders, and/or addictions and there are email loops and list serve groups that address those issues.
Another online resource I am finding invaluable is 12Step.org. The Tools section has downloadable worksheets and links to other downloadable resources to help focus and guide the hard work of the recovery process.
My intention is to utilize some of these tools as part of this blog as I chronicle my process and the progress I make in overcoming my hurts, hang ups, habits, addictions, and compulsive behaviors.
To summarize: When you are ready to stop hurting and start healing, regardless of the many obstacles and challenges that may be present in your life, there are a multitude of affordable (free), accessible, and approachable resources available to help you on your way. Your Higher Power knows what you need and has made provision for you to have it, you just need to step into it. Many people have been where you are and are volunteering their service to maintain these sites and want you to experience the same freedom and healing they have.
A Co-Dependent's Journey 