“Gratitude is shown through your actions, not spoken with your words.” A statement my sponsor told me that had a profound impact on the foundation of my recovery. When I first heard people speak of gratitude, especially about being grateful they are addicts, I could not grasp the concept. For so long the only thing in life I longed for was an escape from myself and the pain that I felt, I could not imagine feeling blessed for being the person I felt doomed to be. As time passed I began not only understand but to truly feel in my heart the concepts of recovery; honesty, hope, faith, courage, and so many more. Once I was able to apply the concepts in my life, being grateful took on a whole new meaning to me. What my sponsor told me finally made sense! If I truly am grateful for something I will show it in my actions not just tell others about it. For as long as I could remember my words were used solely for lies and manipulation, so why use them now for gratitude. When instead I could display it so clearly. If I’m truly grateful for my recovery I will not use, if I’m grateful for my home I will keep it clean, If I’m grateful for the people in my life I will respect them. It all seems so simple now. I cannot believe that my life has changed to the degree it has. I was not even able to function in my own mind, let alone society. Today I own my own business and I am a well rounded member of the community with almost 10 years clean and sober. None of this would have been possible without the help I received at lifeskills. Thank you to the staff at lifeskills for not giving up on me when I had completely given up on myself. Glad I now know how to express gratitude without words because there are not enough words to express how truly grateful I am for the life I have today.”

-anonymous