A Recovery Dream

by Anonymous MinnCoDA Member “My inner teenager had a dream…”The setting was a dream mix of the caretaker’s house at camp and the current Bass Lake house. There was a lot of beige carpet, and it was mostly daytime with that Minnesota silver daylight. Teenage me was so nervous, alarmed, and angry. She was aContinue reading “A Recovery Dream”

Step 11

Hmmmm… Why a picture of a plug in an outlet? Keep reading. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out. Step 11 In Step 3 we made a decision to turnContinue reading “Step 11”

Step 9-Amends Are Changes Not Apologies

“Made direct amends to such people, wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” Step 9 Many people find this step… challenging. Fortunately, in CoDA, we have a method for making amends. It helped me to hear someone say at a meeting, “you don’t apologize to the Constitution, you amend it”.Continue reading “Step 9-Amends Are Changes Not Apologies”

Steps 6 & 7

adapted from CoDA’s “12 Steps Handbook” Step 6: “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”What does it mean to be entirely ready? In CoDA, we learn that it means completely prepared. The first five steps are a large part of that preparation. What we need now is willingness. What areContinue reading “Steps 6 & 7”

The Nature of Our Wrongs

Step 5 states… “Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” So taking from CoDA’s Twelve Steps Handbook and recapping where we’ve been: Let’s clarify a couple of words in that last one.1. Nature: The dictionary defines Nature as… “The forces and processes that produce and controlContinue reading “The Nature of Our Wrongs”

How do I get a sponsor?

This is a common question in our fellowship. Newcomers to our program often wish to find a sponsor quickly. Some of us in the program have found that sponsorship in CoDA can take many forms and proceeding slowly and carefully is advised. One-to-one sponsorship in our program can be tricky due to the nature ofContinue reading How do I get a sponsor?

Starting a Meeting

People start new meetings for many reasons. Some may be isolated from established CoDA meetings because of inconvenient meeting times or distance, or live somewhere with no regional meetings at all. Even those not isolated from existing meetings may wish to start a new meeting, one that meets at a different time or has a different format or focus.Continue reading “Starting a Meeting”

The Winding Road

– by Beth I don’t know about you, but my life journey feels like it has had so many twists and turns within that I lost sight of what was right or wrong and how to make a decision without feeling any fear that the decision would be the wrong one. Just when I thoughtContinue reading “The Winding Road”

Perseverance

by Terrie C I am a survivor of childhood trauma and also ongoing trauma.  In recovery, it has been important to me to acknowledge my successes as well as my mistakes.  In the book THE ADDICTIVE ORGANIZATION by Anne Wilson Schaef and Diane Fassel, they describe codependent behaviors as a fatal disease and say, “InContinue reading “Perseverance”