Nick Shepley - Addiction & Recovery

ADDICTION & RECOVERY

By

Nick Shepley

Addiction & Recovery published in 2011 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.

Copyright Nick Shepley

The right of Nick Shepley to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.

I feel very much like a host who, after receiving a visitor has the great pleasure to invite them in from the cold and offer them a safe place to relax, feel looked after and at home. Think of this eBook as a haven for you as you use it. It might challenge you in places, ask you to at least entertain a few new ideas or give you directions to places youve dreamt of visiting all your life but have never believed you could reach, but for now, think of it as sanctuary.

If I were literally greeting you at my door as a traveller, what would I see? Would I welcome in a weary and exhausted person? Comfort someone who felt impossibly alone most of the time, and then at other times desperate for their comforting fix of drink or drugs, but constantly fearful? Would I welcome in someone who was still hopeful that they could be free from fear, anxiety and loneliness at last? Or someone who has given up all hope? Whoever you might be, know that you are safe here, that there is nothing to fear in the coming pages and everything to gain. I have included in this book some of the most essential things that have been taught to me which have brought me from the very brink of death and despair to my current life now; a happy, sober and free-world where I have a destiny and purpose at last whereby fear and aloneness are things of the past.

Firstly, I must make one or two things clear. This book contains teachings from many different sources; some are the ideas of eminent psychologists, others are from the pages of spiritual books and the minds of spiritual thinkers. Much of the book combines aspects of the AA 12 Step Programme. However, this book is not endorsed by them (simply because at least two of the 12 Traditions of AA prohibit the organisation from getting involved in any outside programme. Tradition 6 states: An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

So thats part of the preamble out of the way. Now there are just a few other things to mention. Firstly with each section there are going to be a few exercises, things for you to write down and to do.

Dont skip these. It is essential that you complete these simple exercises. If you dont then you will probably not achieve a lasting recovery. We cannot simply think ourselves better, we must take action.

Secondly, I will create summaries at the end of each of the first four sections, so that they are easy to cut out and keep. You might want to keep them with you during your day as something you can refer to and look at just to remind yourself of the basics that will keep you sober and away from your addiction.

Finally, I will tend to talk about alcoholism a lot because that was my addiction. If your addiction is spending, heroin, sex, eating, gambling, risk taking or something else, remember the principals of recovery are all the same, irrespective of the drug. The drug is simply the means for triggering a change in state that we addicts crave, and the reason we crave it is because we have learned to use this change in state to deal with life.instead of actually dealing with life.

This is an eBook devoted to getting well and also finding your true purpose in life, if youve been sick with the illness of addiction, maybe youve daydreamed once or twice about what youre really in this world for, now youre here to really find out.

If youre new to recovery or if youve been sober for a while, or even if youre just wondering if the time has come for you to address whatever has been holding you back from real happiness, this is the site for you. It might be a good idea to do the written work in this eBook in a journal or diary so that you have a completed record of everything should you wish to refer to it later.