One of the things that was pivotal in my recovery, was the decision to say good-bye to all of my old friends.
That was a tough decision for many years, that I was reluctant to make.
There were so many good times we had had, that I did not want to leave them or the memories behind.
Bad idea.
It has been one of the best decisions I ever made. I based it on the belief that there was no way I could help them get clean..., but they could sure get me back into using.
I'm sure that you will all agree that a new friendship can be just as satisfying, if not more so, than any old friendship.
No matter how close I thought we had been..., that closeness can be matched by a new friend.
I can let the past be in the past. I can make new friends and be just as happy with them.
It was also hard for me to let go of my old associations, but I had to do this to stay clean. I did continue to hang around some of my old associations when I first got clean, but I began to realize that I didn't like being around them when they were drunk, stoned, high, whatever. The temptation to use drugs again was great. One thing that helped me let go of these people was making new, clean friends in NA.
