The BALM Blog
See all postsFrom Despair to Transformation: How the 12 Principles Revolutionized My Recovery Journey
My name is Lisa McDonald, and I am a person in long-term recovery. What that means for me is that since May 26, 1997, I have not chosen to use or abuse any mind or mood-altering substance. I am living with the Substance Use Disorder, which is a chronic, relapsing, and often fatal brain disorder that impacts me physically, mentally, and spiritually. The mental aspect of this disease is obsessive thought patterns that drive me to make self-destructive choices. The physical aspect of this disease is the compulsion to use regardless of the consequences to myself or those I love. The spiritual aspect of this disease is the total disconnect with my disease.
I have seen countless families torn apart, mine included, by the horrors of active use. When an individual is trapped in the obsession and compulsion of active use, they are destructive to everyone around them. Likewise, recovery is like the ripples on a pond stretching out from the center impacting everyone it touches. Recovery is in fact contagious, not in the passive sense like a virus, rather more like laughter in a tense situation. It lightens the air and draws people in.
My recovery began in a hot church in downtown Baltimore on a hot Memorial Day weekend many years ago. I worked hard on my recovery taking all the suggestions given to me by my recovery support network. I did not have an opportunity to go to treatment. I did not have a supportive family. What I had was a tiny speck of willingness and an even smaller speck of hope for a future.
With that, my recovery took off. I saw freedom from active use, I lost the desire to use, and I began to live in a completely different way. I learned to love recovery and the life it provided me, but I still struggled with connection, healthy relationships, empathy, self-righteousness and at times uncontrollable anger.
When I came to the BALM, I was quite sure that I was going to teach the BALM community a thing or two. What I found was I had no idea how much growing I still had in front of me. The 12 Principles opened my eyes to a whole new world and the 7 Steps began a transformation in me that I didn’t know was possible.
As I walked the BALM path, I began to see that this was not just a program for families, but that it could be invaluable to people recovering from use disorders. I learned tools for dealing with my anger which I later learned through self inquiry and journaling was simple anxiety.
I began to practice mindfulness, which I had never heard of, and this helped me to respond rather than react. My communication with my own family was revolutionized by the BALM, but the most noticeable change in me was in my newfound ability to drop judgment and practice acceptance.
I became able to trust that God that I said I believed in, and I no longer needed to control everyone around me.
I was sold! Bev and I sat down with many other individuals in long term recovery, and we began the process of adapting the 12 Principles for Families into an interactive program for individuals in all stages of recovery from use disorders.
As we have shared this program with our community over the last several years it has grown and changed, but everyone who has taken any of the many iterations of the 12 Principles for Individuals with Use Disorder has benefited greatly. I can tell you that no one has seen more benefit than me!
Join us as a whole family in the BALM Comprehensive Education and Life Coaching program and watch in awe as your entire world transforms!
The upcoming course of the 12 Principles for Individuals in Recovery starts on Wednesday, February 5 at 5:00PM ET. Click here to learn more.