Addiction in the family

So here we are.  Dealing with addiction.  As a parent you never think that your child will become an addict.  I don't know why this never occurred to me as a possibility.  You always think, not my child.  Addiction "runs" in my family though.  2 of my brothers are both dead due to addiction, one of my nephews committed suicide because of addiction and another nephew is in jail because of addiction.  Addiction is everywhere!  Even in my own family.  My son. So where  does that leave me?  Al-Anon.  I went to my first meeting last week and know that is where I belong.  My son is 49 days sober and will be coming home next weekend.  I know that I need help in knowing what to do and not to do when he gets here.

The 12 steps of Al-Anon

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Do you have experience with addiction?  I would love to hear it!

Progress

So it is 4 weeks until the half marathon.  I still am not ready but am making progress.  I have ran/walked 6 miles.  This week I plan to at least go 8 miles and then the next week 10.  Today was the Bloomington half and I checked the results to find that the last place gal's time was 4:05.  I am sure that I can beat that and hope that I won't come in last place.  I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!

So I want to be a runner

I have been trying to run since January 2011.  Our group started with the Couch to 5K program and did really well with it.  We ran our first 5K in March 2011.  As a result of that run, I ended up with surgery, a hemorrhoidectomy that knocked me out of running for about 6 weeks.
 You can read all about it here

My first 5K March 2011

 I got back going and did other 5K's and an 8k. 

Family Connections 5K in Alabaster 38:12 was my time

Jingle Bell Run 2012

Our first 8K

8K after shot- 1hour 3 minutes

  Every few months though I would be stuck with another injury, hips hurting, legs hurting, twisted my ankle and on and on. It has been very frustrating. I am now signed up for the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville for September 2012. 2 weeks ago my right hip/butt started hurting. It has progressively gotten worse. I haven't had an official diagnosis yet but it seems to be either a bulging/herniated L5 disc. So now what? No running!!

I love running!  I love how it makes me feel.  I love the results of running. 

 I LOVE RUNNING!