Hello Friends. I have had this problem for a long time........I am a terrible, terrible housekeeper !! I used to use my drug of choice to try to help me clean up and it did help me only at the very beginning, but it quickly turned on me and it hindered me even worse. I have ADHD also, but I cannot take the medication because It gives me strong cravings for my Drug of Choice. So...i long to have this clean, organized apartment. I have a five year old son who helps me mess it up also. I have it in such a state and my mind is the way it is that it always stays pretty much the same no many how long i work on it. I am having to have my brother over here tonite to sleep because he is on day two of his methadone maintenance program and I want it to be nice for him. Help Guys !! Any Suggestions ??
The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. --Chinese Proverb. Funny, I read your post, could not think of any thing that may be of real help, then went to a different site I visit each am , and found this quote. Maybe just start small, like a place for you all to sit & talk & have coffee or watch a movie & have popcorn, clean that up first. Have your 5 year old help, like make it a game. Give him/her an empty box or basket and have them pick up their toys or clothes or something. Maybe if you break it down and set a goal to accomplish that one thing in an hour or two hours time, then take a break, then move on, you can clean a little of the cluttter. Trying to do it all at once gets so overwhelming we tend not to do any of it. Hope this helps a little and good luck. Enjoy your visit. Peace
Yes only thing I can think of (besides a maid) is do the room he is going to be in and slowly go from there.In fact good way for him to get out of his head is 'give you a hand"the therapeutic value of............My 24 year old son also on 125 mg's of methadone and his early days was quite an an adjustment......He is also diagnosed with severe OCD,manic depressive,AHDD, anxiety disorder and anger issues..Talk about a ball of wax.......Good luck,try and relax........
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
Oh my gosh, I love that quote ....that was so helpful !! You're advice was great too. I was kindof thinking along those same lines of what you said so that must be the answer for me. Thank you for caring !!
This may sound odd, but my suggestion is to work the steps. It's amazing but as your mind becomes less of a frantic cluttered mess, so does your house. Seriously.
Thanks for the suggestion of working the steps. This time around, I have not formerly done that yet. I know just by being on this message board, I am not working the program. I have 4th step fear. One of the people I have to make amends to is my dead husband and one is my 5 year old son. I cannot figure out how to do either of those. I havent been able to get the meetings as much as i want to because i dont want my smart five year old there. I need a sponsor and the books. I have more hope now through what you said avid, thank you. I, I, I too much I right ??
i would get rid of anything that is going to clutter up your place. the less stff you have the eaiser it would be to keep things clean. I hate clutter so that helps me out alot.Try to clean as you cook keep things organized. good luck...
I have alot of(8) kids so you can imagine that i dont think i ever get a chance to sit down because im always cleaning or cooking.My kids help me out alot but as a mom it is a never ending job, All i can say is if you dont use something or if its in the way you dont need it the least amount of things you will have to clean or worrie about it being in the way.if your ever just sitting around put yourself to work.Just what ever you do dont turn back to your adiction it isnt worth it, take it one day at a time.
Thank you so much you guys for all of your advice. It feels so nice to know people care !! I worked on it a bit today and got more than I thought I would get done. It turns out my brother wont be here until tomarrow night so i can get more done tomarrow...yay !! Then I am going to do my best to keep it clean. It makes me feel so much better. I am looking forward to working the steps...got to get the books !!!
Like was said earlier, stepwork will help. We don't work on amends until steps 8 and 9. Step 4 happens long before this. I step 4 we take a moral inventory of ourselves, writing about our positive and negative character traits. It sounds to me like messiness is one of your character traits. If you work step 4, you begin a process that will allow you to do something about this, with the help of a higher power.
Good morning Carolyn, It's important that we don't get ahead of ourselves. The steps are in order for a reason. As we work step 1 faithfully our surrender readies us for "coming to believe" in step. As develop a relationship with a loving caring God of our understanding, we create a spiritual environment within us that sets the stage for us to seek His will for us and have some trust that this divine will is a positive force in our lives. Now we are ready to face some demons, because we have built a foundation of honesty, trust, and courage. We are not alone. By now we have grown close to our sponsor and believe in our heart that he/she is looking out for our best interest and can be COMPLETELY trusted.....If not, then perhaps she is not the best sponsor for you. That trust in a sponsor is key.....So step 4 then becomes just another step on the journey. And so on untill we awake spiritually. Does the phrase "happy, joyous, and free" sound like something you would like to be real in your life? If the answer is 'yes'....then find a sponsor and begin the journey. It just may prove to be the best decision you will ever make. peace.
I too suffer from dirty apartment syndrome all because of my drug use. I am horrified at the so-called mess. I use to be the most meticulous housekeeper known to mankind. Then drugs came. It takes all my energy to do my steps for recovery. I finally quit trying to keep up with this place about 2 yrs ago, and gave in to full time steps and recovery. I simply just dont have any energy left for this apartment. I just cant do both at this immediate time. Im thinking it will all work out, one dust bunny at a time. this mountain will still be here when i am once again the superwoman i once was before drugs stole all my energy. then again, as im writing this, it occurs to me maybe this mountain of dirt isnt as bad as i once thought. housekeeping was a problem with me i belive. i was toooooooooo meticulous. rediculously so. hummmmmmm... i have so much more work to do on myself. :/
Hello Friends. I have had this problem for a long time........I am a terrible, terrible housekeeper !! I used to use my drug of choice to try to help me clean up and it did help me only at the very beginning, but it quickly turned on me and it hindered me even worse. I have ADHD also, but I cannot take the medication because It gives me strong cravings for my Drug of Choice. So...i long to have this clean, organized apartment. I have a five year old son who helps me mess it up also. I have it in such a state and my mind is the way it is that it always stays pretty much the same no many how long i work on it. I am having to have my brother over here tonite to sleep because he is on day two of his methadone maintenance program and I want it to be nice for him. Help Guys !! Any Suggestions ??
