Recovering Addicts.....Find Strength in Lifting!!

[sgt_kelly]

these are all great life stories to hear of sobriety and ones willingness to overcome this b using the gym as a resource to vent their pains. keep coming back people!

[ChicagoChef]

off topic, where are all the women addicts. maybe they don't train as much.

Right here... although I'm far from "recovering"... still struggling to get myself to stop drinking.

[Tim Maloney]

Chef, it all comes down to willingness for me. do i want to continue to hurt myself and possibly die or do i want to live.there is help if you want it.i had to really want it. it's been almost 17 years. aug.16.good luck to you whatever you decide.

[sgt_kelly]

Chef, it all comes down to willingness for me. do i want to continue to hurt myself and possibly die or do i want to live.there is help if you want it.i had to really want it. it's been almost 17 years. aug.16.good luck to you whatever you decide.

congratulations big time tim!! one day at a time, and thats a hell of alot of one days!!
but too true....the choice is ours to use or not too!
stay strong chef!

[Svonne]

need some prayers my way. fighting depression again. when i get this way all i can do is work. and only that cause i have too. don't want to use and not going to either. i learned a long time ago. i have never have to use against my will, just for today.

off topic, where are all the women addicts. maybe they don't train as much.

thanks brothers for being there.

Lurking female addict/drunk in recovery here. Prayers sent your way. I struggle with the same issues.

[blindy107]

comin up on 4 years end of July with the help of the 'ol HP

8 months of liftin and goin strong

[sgt_kelly]

again...excellent to hear everyones story on here, and i hope that lifting/exercising can be a great staple and motivation for everyone to stay sober, and better themselves as a result of it!

[ChicagoChef]

Hey all... been sober for 8 days now. I know it's not long but it's a start, right?

Been hitting the gym hard and it's been a good substitute.

Hope you are all doing well!

[Tim Maloney]

Hey all... been sober for 8 days now. I know it's not long but it's a start, right?

Been hitting the gym hard and it's been a good substitute.

Hope you are all doing well!

chef great job!!! just for today we can do this!!we all start with day 1. keep comin' back!!

[SeanCorey]

I've been using on and off for about 8 years....6 years ago I was at my worst...stealing, pawning ****, doing whatever I had to do to get my next high. I went to college and cleaned up my act a bit - stilled smoked grass and drank, but dropped the hard drugs...These last two years I've been going back and forth....I seem to be able to get sober, but can never stay sober....Without bodybuilding I'd still be a full blown junkie....I don't drink today because its empty calories....I don't do hard drugs anymore (well mostly anymore) because it will affect my workouts and my mindset for the following few days....I live for bodybuilding....I still suffer from depression and what not, and tend to isolate and be antisocial...but its whatever for now....I feel right living the bodybuilding lifestyle and I'm gonna stick with it....I should probably get therapy cause I have a lot of **** bottled up and ****, but i dunno....good luck to everyone with thier sobriety and their bodybuilding journey

[sgt_kelly]

Im a 2-time comabt vet man, i know where you arer coming from with all the bottled up ****!
i was drinking so crazy...i couldnt even function...so i had no other choice in my mind but to isolate!
just take it one day, and keep the gym and higher power focus and use it as a strength to be sober for that day!
oh and the therapy helped me bigtime!!

[brighamw]

Im a 2-time comabt vet man, i know where you arer coming from with all the bottled up ****!
i was drinking so crazy...i couldnt even function...so i had no other choice in my mind but to isolate!
just take it one day, and keep the gym and higher power focus and use it as a strength to be sober for that day!
oh and the therapy helped me bigtime!!

Great advice man! Just take it a day at a time & once you realize there's so much more to life than just wasting it away it gets easier & easier...

(2+ years clean & sober)

[sgt_kelly]

a bump for sobriety!!

[bobbyfresh]

recovering alcoholic addict, clean since 2/20/09 after going to detox. raging heroin addict/crackhead. young/sober and in college more difficult than it looks! my desire to be a normal kid and go out and have a few beers is strong. although, i am terrified i will end up at the dopeboys house if i have a few beers. bodybuilding has helped me stay sober because i like the endorphins and like to see how far i can push my body.

[brighamw]

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Congratulations & good luck! It's worth it, so stick with it...

[Ramon66]

well I cant say I use body building as part of my recovery. I have lifted off and on since the age of 14. I will have 21 years clean and sober in 2 days, god willing. I have been clean longer than I was addicted. started very young. hell I was one of those little kids you see with those messed up dopefiend parents. most of my familly on mothers side are addicts and alcoholics. I am the first to break the cycle of addiction and penitenturies.
I will give all newcomers and even those who think they got time this advice. be willing to look at your issues and be willing to at least attempt to change. those who are unwilling to see themselves as they truely are and not the person they want everyone else to see. will get loaded. never stop trying to be a better person, allways clean your side of the street. admit when your are wrong and apologize. honesty will keep you clean and consider others in every action. continual growth is necessary for continued recovery. I am sorry to say that I am one of those they talk about who just dissapeared from meetings. while I believe them to be necessary for the first five to seven years, I do believe it is in ones best interest to get a life and hobbies outside the program. good luck to all, especially those with under a year. it's tough but man the gifts that await you are unbelieveable.
last but not least slips do not need to be part of recovery. no one slips, they walk right into that drink or drug. its a conciuos decision we make every hr of every day, but eventualy it just becomes second nature.

[Tim Maloney]

well I cant say I use body building as part of my recovery. I have lifted off and on since the age of 14. I will have 21 years clean and sober in 2 days, god willing. I have been clean longer than I was addicted. started very young. hell I was one of those little kids you see with those messed up dopefiend parents. most of my familly on mothers side are addicts and alcoholics. I am the first to break the cycle of addiction and penitenturies.
I will give all newcomers and even those who think they got time this advice. be willing to look at your issues and be willing to at least attempt to change. those who are unwilling to see themselves as they truely are and not the person they want everyone else to see. will get loaded. never stop trying to be a better person, allways clean your side of the street. admit when your are wrong and apologize. honesty will keep you clean and consider others in every action. continual growth is necessary for continued recovery. I am sorry to say that I am one of those they talk about who just dissapeared from meetings. while I believe them to be necessary for the first five to seven years, I do believe it is in ones best interest to get a life and hobbies outside the program. good luck to all, especially those with under a year. it's tough but man the gifts that await you are unbelieveable.
last but not least slips do not need to be part of recovery. no one slips, they walk right into that drink or drug. its a conciuos decision we make every hr of every day, but eventualy it just becomes second nature.

i respect your clean time brother but i have to say this and i don't mean to be disrespectfulbut if i stop going to meetings with 5-7 years clean how does the newcomers know it works long term.i'm coming on 17 years and still go to meetings ;fit in my goals,hobbies and my family . i do agree there is no such thing as a slip. you either use or you don't no dope ever got into me by itself. i made a concious decision. brother, i hope you go back to meetings. everyone i know that stopped eventually used and some died.peace to you. and good luck.

[sgt_kelly]

damn...you guys got some serious years of sobriety on you.....major congrats!!
i just passed 6 months clean, and i feel good right now!got myself back in shape and hitting the gym hardcore again....and i do believe that my goals with lifting is a help with my sobriety! my time in combat kills my soul, and alcohol seem to make it better...as weird as it sounds, it worked so i thought it did, but in the process i was losing everything in my life!!
i went to rehab, got myself back and look forward to changes of everyday life with a sober approach!
the best to everyone on their journeys in life and recovery, and i applaud everyone for making the effort!

[Tim Maloney]

sgt. kelly if i had to live thru combat i'm sure i would of been in your shoes as well.i just put one foot in front of the other and keep steppin. dude in know came back from iraq and has a little over a year clean. but he relapsed while over there. the steps are a powerful tool that can help me in every area of my life. we all have our own wars going on inside us and some of us on the outside as well. it 's all about what we do with those feelings that makes me an addict. not the type of dope i used, whether i drank it, smoked it ,shot it, snorted it whatever. cliche as it sunds if i did it so can you. btw, thanks for serving. i appreciate your sacrifice.

[klir_2m]

I was hooked on meth, hardcore. For months on end I'd be up 5 days straight then out for 2. Lost pretty much everything I had, including $9000 I had in the bank. Then I got arrested, which cleaned me up real fast. While waiting for my sentencing (which took a year), I got real heavy into health and fitness. Originally it wasn't body building though - I was into MMA and TKD, did about 10-15 hours of aerobics and calisthenics a week along with daily TKD classes and MMA sessions.

Then out of boredom I started playing WoW, and before long started skipping workouts and classes, slowly getting out of shape and gaining weight. Then the sentencing came, did 60 days in jail and my fitness kick was effectively over. When I got out of jail WoW took over my life - I traded one addiction for another. Spent the next three years doing nothing but playing WoW 12+ hours a day. It was a lot easier to deal with that world than the real world after I had been screwed over and abandoned by so many people in my drug days.

I finally quit playing WoW in May this year and got back into fitness, although this time it's body building. The body building has definitely been a healthy preoccupation that's kept me away from doing a lot of unproductive things. Sadly though, after 4.5 years clean, I still miss the meth almost every day. My goal is 9-10% body fat and I know with meth I could have that in no time, along with boundless energy for working out as much and as intense as I could ever want. For those that have never done it, the strength and energy that meth gives you is completely indescribable, it turns you into some kind of god. I actually broke down and asked a friend if he knew anyone a couple weeks ago, thankfully he didn't.

It's something that will haunt me for the rest of my life, I think. I'm not sure how much body building helps keep my mind off it, because I often think of how outrageously fast I could lose the fat and lift like a fricken madman every day if I had a supply. But in the meantime, at least body building is keeping me from wasting my life with pointless and unproductive crap, like MMO's.

Anyway that's my story, I've enjoyed reading everyone else's and they've all been very inspiring.

[brighamw]

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Congrats! Stick with it & stay away from that crap (meth), it definitely sounds like you still have cravings. Good luck!

[JiuJitsuFighter]

much respect to you guys choosing to sober up and replace all that **** with positive stuff like lifting. keep it up

[THUNDERGOD2000]

I've been there too my friends. I am new to this sight, but am really enjoying it. There seems to be a lot of positive feedback and support here. My younger brother is also recovering. He has 2 more weeks and then he is a full alumni at his rehab. He has also decided to stay and help his fellow man out. Keep it up everyone! Nobody HAS to be an addict.

[Tim Maloney]

I was hooked on meth, hardcore. For months on end I'd be up 5 days straight then out for 2. Lost pretty much everything I had, including $9000 I had in the bank. Then I got arrested, which cleaned me up real fast. While waiting for my sentencing (which took a year), I got real heavy into health and fitness. Originally it wasn't body building though - I was into MMA and TKD, did about 10-15 hours of aerobics and calisthenics a week along with daily TKD classes and MMA sessions.

Then out of boredom I started playing WoW, and before long started skipping workouts and classes, slowly getting out of shape and gaining weight. Then the sentencing came, did 60 days in jail and my fitness kick was effectively over. When I got out of jail WoW took over my life - I traded one addiction for another. Spent the next three years doing nothing but playing WoW 12+ hours a day. It was a lot easier to deal with that world than the real world after I had been screwed over and abandoned by so many people in my drug days.

I finally quit playing WoW in May this year and got back into fitness, although this time it's body building. The body building has definitely been a healthy preoccupation that's kept me away from doing a lot of unproductive things. Sadly though, after 4.5 years clean, I still miss the meth almost every day. My goal is 9-10% body fat and I know with meth I could have that in no time, along with boundless energy for working out as much and as intense as I could ever want. For those that have never done it, the strength and energy that meth gives you is completely indescribable, it turns you into some kind of god. I actually broke down and asked a friend if he knew anyone a couple weeks ago, thankfully he didn't.

It's something that will haunt me for the rest of my life, I think. I'm not sure how much body building helps keep my mind off it, because I often think of how outrageously fast I could lose the fat and lift like a fricken madman every day if I had a supply. But in the meantime, at least body building is keeping me from wasting my life with pointless and unproductive crap, like MMO's.

Anyway that's my story, I've enjoyed reading everyone else's and they've all been very inspiring.

you know workouts don't keep me clean. 12 step recovery keeps me clean as well as my Higher Power. brother you don't have to do this alone.i never could and i tried. the choice is yours , dope still calls my name. but i don't want it. left alone tho, sometimes it sure sounds like a good idea. try to find Narcotics Anonymous or AA in your area and just go to a meeting or two. noone says you have to stay, but trust me when i say it sure beats the hell out of copping another case or prison. the hell with that shiite.good luck to you .

[Ramon66]

i respect your clean time brother but i have to say this and i don't mean to be disrespectfulbut if i stop going to meetings with 5-7 years clean how does the newcomers know it works long term.i'm coming on 17 years and still go to meetings ;fit in my goals,hobbies and my family . i do agree there is no such thing as a slip. you either use or you don't no dope ever got into me by itself. i made a concious decision. brother, i hope you go back to meetings. everyone i know that stopped eventually used and some died.peace to you. and good luck.

well I would have to say you go to meetings because you like them. others like to be looked at as GURU'S cause they accumulate some time. the steps are there whether you are at meetings or not. its about living life on lifes terms and applying the principles on a daily basis in our lives. you are correct, it can be good for the new commer to see people with time. however recovery is personal. I help others when I can and take people to meetings when they are willing, but for me there is no need to continue to go. I have a fabulous support group, I am envolved in my church. I do service when asked and even do it without being asked from time to time. bt I also believe it is the newcommer and the people with 5years and under that keep 12 step programs alive. it is that addictive behavior that fuels someones need to be a secratery, a coffe maker or what ever the case may be. it is once one heals and becomes emotionally healthy that one moves on and lets go of the addiction to meetings. you are correct. many people who leave get loade, but many who leave dont. many who never go any where keep getting loaded over and over and never become honest with themselves. I dont want to sound like I am aginst meetings, cause I am not. I believe they are needed. but I would never tell someone they have to keep going for the rest of thier lives so that others can see it works. hell when I got clean 2 years was a life time, 20 was an impossability and they must be lying. thats what I thought. so food for thought, if you like them great. I personally try to keep possotive people around me who realy enjoy people and want to help others. lets be totally honest here. there are way too many guys and galls that have acouple years and still think they are hip slick and too cool for school. these are dopefiends. even when they have a few years they are still F**ked up and full of ****. hell I was full of **** till I had 3 years and it took that long for me to become willing to change. sorry for the rant.

[Tim Maloney]

i respect your point of view. let's agree to disagree on some points anyway. i know some folks don't use when they don't go to meetings. 12 step recovery isn't the only way to stay clean. it's just the only way i have been able too. peace.

[blu2xtreme]

Just found this thread - My son is 21 yrs old and is a recovering Meth addict - clean for 2 yr 2 months - he is in prison right now because his addiction. He spent 9 months in a residential rehab / school when he was 16 and stayed cleaned for over a year then he thought he could handle being around old friends that used - he could not. When he was arrested I was relieved because I didn't have to wonder every night if he would be alive the next day. His meth use totally destroyed his body, he looked awful and was so weak.
After he got clean enough in jail to think clear again - he chose to go back to church while he was there and started respecting his body again - he is now going to school while in and has become a fitness addict instead. Actually his ability to take control of his addiction, helped me get a grip on mine - emotional eating. Now we are both healthy and have a common bond that will help both of us when he gets out. There are pics of him in my gallery. My prayers are with you all.

[brighamw]

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Congrats to you, & good luck to your son...

[blu2xtreme]

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Congrats to you, & good luck to your son...

Thank you, I feel blessed.
Love Utah - best hiking , just got back from Zion.

[txtch7471]

Jonas, Addict. Been clean since january 1st 2009 only by the grace of god. 6ths months a couple weeks ago. Glad to see other recovering addicts/alcoholics! caught a couple of cases at first and was forced into treatment or prison, after i saw how much better it was living in recovery i hada get me some.
keep comin back. it ****in works.

Excuse my french

We needa make a body group