By: Marilyn H., sober date: 9/25/2017

Marilyn HBefore Transformations, I was sick – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Residue of this lingered for a long time but I took it day by day, and eventually the recovery phase came. Although, I will say that it was not easy. PAWS (post-acute withdrawal symptoms) were long and difficult, and sometimes it felt like I would never recover. But I decided to follow the suggestions anyway, practicing diet and exercise, taking my vitamins, and incorporating a whole lot of praying.

I once heard that when you change your diet, you know that you have changed your life. But there was more to it than just eating right. There were two other things I truly needed to learn, study, and change – that was learning how to forgive and learning how to be grateful. And practicing these daily.

I did the work to forgive myself for the bad choices I made in life. I started by making a list of the people I had hurt and the wrong decisions I made, and analyzed each of these situations in depth with my sponsor. Forgiveness is the key to allowing me to reach my full potential.

I learned so much at Transformations, including how to be grateful. I was experiencing so many feelings, and battling with my ego and attitude. That ego – it kept trying to get in the way. I struggled for a long time with resentments towards my supervisor, but things got better as I did the work and looked at myself. Today, I can be grateful for things from small to large. I can be grateful for the good and bad in my life, for my family, my ex-husband, bills, my car, and so much more. Doing the work (for me) means practicing gratitude in my daily life.

Today, I am free from all of the pain this disease caused me. I hope you find that, too.