Well its been a few days I been working hard at doing the assignments and trying to live harmoniously with 22+ other men who have pretty much the same issues as me. At times it has been stressful (almost everyday) other times has been really productive and I have become aware of many things about myself that I either didn't know or didnt want to know so I have shifted gears a little and am exploring new ways to express anger, hurt and frustration. Not to mention my big ones guilt and shame. Overall our little community is a positive safe environment and the staff here are top notch. The thing I come to realize today is that when a new guest is on the other side, (that being the Polk County Jail) they are enthusiastic and grateful for a chance, then when they get here and start the introspection all of a sudden they want to start changing things about the program lol it is kind of funny anyway I hope this helps someone. If this is you laugh with me....

So today was a great day I had thanksgiving dinner with my "Bridges brothers and sisters" re-connected with an old friend and another old friend was actually a speaker after the dinner . It was inspirational, motivating and gave me a lot of hope for my own future. I also looked up a couple cool things on pinterest I thought I would share...   
 

          So today the theme was how to communicate with others in certain social situations to protect myself from possible relapse and to avoid being ensnared in criminal behavior. It was a good group and there were lots and lots of suggestions both good and ridiculous, lol but it all comes back to me letting you (my friends and family) know that I am not a mere social user and will not ever be and all that entails. Simple huh?

This is the first post for my new blog "Doing Recovery at Bridges of Iowa" many of you know me and what some of my greatest hits are....Well I've tried and tried so many times to get on track and I've never quite been able to "finish strong" so to speak. My intention is to spark interest in Bridges of Iowa and maybe help myself by expanding my support system. That being said Feel free to comment either privately or publicly as you desire. Check this video out...

https://youtu.be/PNeystiamgg