12 Step Guide on Twitter

Almost forgot to mention we are now on Twitter at 12 Step Rehabs if you care to follow. God knows what I will be twittering about ? maybe show new centres as they add on to the guide. And dont forget to follow us on the 12 Step Drug Rehabs Facebook account Enjoy the day.

NA weekend at Birmingham

Well the weekend came and went and as always was brilliant. Caught up with lots of friends from Narcotics Anonymous that had travelled from all over the UK, and met a couple that had actually travelled further. Found myself having a bit of a boogie in the Shebeen Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed all the shares I managed to hear. I love getting away for these weekends, staying in a nice hotel hearing good recovery from substance abuse shares and generaly having a holiday type weekend with friends old and new. Its good to be home with the kids and getting back into the grind, now who needs to be registering with my 12 step drug rehab guide :) Speak later xx

UK Narcotics Anonymous Convention

Here I go again for this year’s UK Narcotics Anonymous convention in the Birmingham Metropole Hotel . Its been there for quite a while now, not sure exactly how long but do remember going to the first one about 14 or 15 years ago. The hotels brilliant and are more than happy to have NA there as we give them a lot less hassle than your average convention or function, musty have something to do with us all being clean and sober :) I usually catch up with friends from all over the country who I only see at conventions with all sorts of backgrounds of long term substance abuse or drug addiction prior to recovery, depending on how you look at it. Narcotics Anonymous is not affiliated with any outside organisations or treatment centres and you hear this at the beginning of most meetings, however in my experience the vast majority of recovering addicts got introduced to NA via being in a rehabilitation centre of some sort or another. Not all rehabs are 12 Step motivated and some do encourage other forms of on-going recovery. I can’t comment on how successful or not these are but everyone that I have come across in 20 years of being a member of NA has arrived there after other methods failed miserably. So off up to Birmingham tomorrow to see recovering friends here shares and sit around catching up and having a laugh for a couple of days, just what the doctor ordered. The majority will be getting into the disco or dance on Saturday night but this old man will be drinking cocoa and enjoying the luxury of an early night. Sunday morning in the Metropole stands for an early swim and large breakfast to me. Have fun whatever you get up to.

Just a quick update to say my web page now has a twitter account ? 12 Step Drug Rehabs Guide not sure what im going to be doing with it yet but do know I need one :) Enjoy the day xx

Rain - Surprise Surprise

So its bank holiday Tuesday? You don’t get many of them I tell ya missus. Plus its raining? On a bank holiday ?? Well I never, come on missus you know you must have at some point we have all spotted your kids. As I was saying, it’s a bank holiday Tuesday and it’s absolutely chucking it down, looks like a Nando's treat before a movie at the local cinema is on the cards. My beautiful 11 year old daughter wants to see the latest Johnny Depp one "Dark Shadows" and as it looks like it could be a laugh I’m game for it. Hope you are finding suitable entertainment to keep yourselves amused during this long dark period (Tuesday) and hope to see you next time on the sunny side of the street. Warm damp regards Robbie

Bath Narcotics Anonymous convention

Start worrying about doing the opening share at this weekend’s Bath squeaky clean convention. Hadn’t really put much thought into as I know it’s not worth worrying about as you can never predict how it’s going to go anyway. However I was obviously having a quiet time and my head and decided it’s time to worry about something. This happens from time to time when I have nothing going on of much concern so my head decides to come up with something to keep me in discomfort for the rest of the day. It’s as though its job is done once I am driving myself mad over something that I have absolutely no control over. Anyway apart from the share I am looking forward to the road trip with some good friends as well as catching up with more once we get there. I know a couple of others doing shares on the Saturday and am looking forward to hearing them then getting out into Bath for a bit of a carvery meal before the drive home. Not a bad old life at all really and if I haven’t got any problems until my head makes some up for me then I shouldn’t complain. Regards Robbie

The final sea front run

So Thursday morning has been and gone with the final seafront run completed. It wasn’t that long ago I was down there running 4 miles thinking I will never get much further than this and no way will i get up to training for the marathon. Now I done 4 miles and didn’t feel like I had got started and it was finishing, and that turn around has probably been in about 6 months. Busy day on the guide dealing with drug rehabs from as far afield as Thailand, New Zealand and South Africa so far today. I know I need to be in contact with a couple in the wonderful USA plus one in Canada later tonight and hopefully will manage to get them done and dusted prior to another early night. Trying to get my body used to them so it’s a little easier to sleep in the hotel Saturday night. That’s before the rude awakening for the marathon very early Sunday morning. 3 Sleeps to go (oh dear) ????

5 Days to go

So here we are 5 days untill the big day and the 26 point whatever run around London. Finding it pretty strange still not to be going out and doing distance runs which shows how well the training has been. When it started I was finding it hard enough getting out for 6 mile runs a couple of times a week let alone feeling held back for not being allowed to go for 14, 16 or 18 miles on a weekly basis. The fundraising has been going well and so far iots a little over £ 400 and im sure that will increase if not before the big day then hopefully when people are watching it on telly, always a good reminder. Working on the rehab guide has been ok so far plenty of others contacting me for links which is all going to be helpfull in Google search results for the future. Both kids here today so no time to get back on the work till they are both in bed and fast asleep. May it come quickly :)

London Marathon

Almost there, 10 days to go until I do the London Marathon again for Children With Cancer, this will be my 5th Marathon in total (2 Londons 2 Brightons and 1 New Forest) and im glad to say it will be my last. The training gets harder each year and longer to recover from plus I would like a winter where im not jumping up most nights and heading out in the bitter cold for training runs that I just have to do.

Substance abuse

First entry on my first blog for the 12 Step Treatment Guide.
Its basically a guide to drug and alcohol rehabs around the world that help those suffering with substance abuse issues. Its quite simple to use just go to the front page and use the map for your country. Once you are there its self explanatory how to open the pages for any rehabs in your area, contact them directly or go through to there own web page for further information. If you know of any that use the 12 steps as part of there treatment model that are not on the guide then please do use the contact page on the rehab guide and let us know who they are. The rest as they say will be taken care of by us.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully (time allowing) I will be able to update on a regular basis.
Regards Robbie