About the Spiritual River
The Spiritual River is all about creating a new life for yourself in recovery. This is best described by the creative theory of recovery.
Would you like to…
Who is the author?
Patrick Meninga is the recovering addict and alcoholic who authors this website. You can read my full story here, or contact me through email right here.
So where to get started? You might follow some of the links above, or simply visit the archives and start browsing around. Make sure to bookmark this site, because there is more information here than most people can digest in a single sitting. So have a look around….and good luck with your recovery!
Recommended Reading
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I had read many sites on this subject,I am not an addict but a person who has gone through years of emotional sadness on constant relapse,lies cheating,name calling and held at blame for others mistakes,depression,sadness and loss of hope,my health is not good and I am not happy.when I read your page I cried so hard,it is a blessing to me to know that someone who is living their life as you are and finding someone who in some way has the same thougths I have in my heart knowing that to survive this hard life of addiction can be learned in a different way has touched me in so many ways.Thank You Patrick for the help and wonderful site,i wish i would have came across it sooner.I will come back to the river to read more and hope to have a few more read it.You are a wonderful person to put your feelings of your life on a site.I wish you luck in all ways of life and God Bless You. Barbara (your site is a blessing)
Thank you for the kind words, Barbara! I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with addiction, I know it can be devastating when friends or loved ones start down that road. Good luck to you and God bless.
There are many factors involved in substance abuse. One of the most important is severity of the problem. Severity is one of the factors most important in drawing a line under it.
Another factor is: Why the abuse? Knowing the why is part of the solution.
Another is determination and motivation. Mindfulness is important.
Last comment: “spiritual” means whatever an individual says that it means.
Truth rings true when one addict speaks it to another. The hardest thing I had to face in recovery is the devastating realness of reality. Because i drank and used to escape the pain of the truth. When the true reality wasnt the truth, the truth was deluded through false preconcieved thoughts and notions, once i conceded to my innermost self that i was addicted and i was hopeless, i have accepted a spiritual solution. The only solution that could have worked for a addict like me. Reality is still real but today i have the tools and the support to deal with it.
James E. 22yrs old Raleigh NC
Really great site..i look forward to reading all if it..
Many kind Regards
Ian
i am a pastor of a rehab in nigeria.i just thot that we could work together to enhance our operation .thanks.
ok.thats all
Dear Patrick,
I only discovered your site yesterday and have been steadily reading through various articles since then.
As the adult daughter of an alcoholic who is very unwell but seems firmly trapped in a state of denial, it is a huge comfort to read your comments aimed at family. In the last six months I have begun psychotherapy to help me deal with my own experiences, emotions and the pain I have suffered as a consequence of my mother’s illness. I can admit freely that I’m still very angry about the emotional abuse and neglect that somebody chemically numbed to life can inflict on their closest family, but my own journey in therapy is really helping me to own my feelings and understand how I came to be me – what is my responsibility and what is not. I’m a work in progress, but it feels great not be be telling myself and everyone else that “I’m fine!” the whole time and to be moving forward.
Part of this journey has led me to being curious about what my mother may be going through and what it is that keeps her trapped in her addiction. I am also very keen that my father and the rest of the family stop enabling her – a subject about which you are very eloquent. Thank you.
I’m not a religious person, but I wish you joy and peace and look forward to reading on…
Hi Patrick,
How do I get to the current Blog, posts, forum ??? I was following very closely then lost the link…..
Help!
Thanks,
Dave
The forum is right over here Dave:
http://www.spiritualriver.com/forum/
And if you just go to the home page, you can see the latest post:
http://www.spiritualriver.com/
Patrick, I am just completing 7-years clean and sober in a 12-step program. I have been trying to abstain and prevent relapse for nearly 4 additional years. During that time, I tried Rational Recovery – which is very much like the 4-step program of “relapse prevention through personal growth,” that you advocate. I frankly don’t see the difference between your “informal program of recovery” and the 12-step program, except in my life, and now in the lives of many of the men I try to help in AA and in our community, have a diffuse “personal growth” program doesn’t help alcoholics to live comfortable and happy lives while they abstain. I am like many others who “try” AA and/or NA: I really have a strong personal motivation to quit. I was not on felony probation nor did my spouse threaten to leave me if I drank or used again, but I knew I was out of control and I was dieing! I therefore had great motication – especially given I was a single dad with 3 kids I was trying to rear. I tried and tried to grow in a holistic manner, and my health would improve for a time. My problem was I couldn’t live my life comfortably, the stress would build up again, and I’d find myself drinking or using again, seemingly against my own will power! Through applying the 12-steps to my life, I have been able to find a manner of living that allows me to be very consistent and allows me to not even think about using again, so long as I keep applying the steps when I find myself becoming stressed, or “disturbed.” If your premise is really what keeps an alcoholic or addict sober today can not work consistently over time, I strongly disagree with you! I have worked with alcoholics and addicts daily for nearly 30-years, and I agree with the vast majority of other people who work with our group of people: it’s critical to find a simple easy-to-use program or device to use during one’s day to be able to avoid getting “stuck” in fear, anger or stress. I’d urge folks to try 12-steps sincerely and consistently over a period of months, and see if their life doesn’t change, remarkably.
Hello,
I’m not an addict however I’m trying to look for answers for my lother inlaw. She has taken in a friend of hers and her son who is 32yrs old. He us a drug user and has gone through cycyles the past 3 years of living in her home. We all feel she is not helping him by having a great warm bed to come home to after he is gone for weeks at a time. Of course the same story he promises he will not use again. Same old story, however she was told that he can not get into a rehab while be on perscription drugs that his doctor have given him. there has to be some place that would take him. Please advice.
Thank You Patrick , I have been trying to establish a well rounded (Rehab) Share House for men whom are in the desperate stage and seeking recovery , I do like your Holistic Views , as I myself have found I need more than 12 step groups .
I hope to read more of your site in the coming days weeks months .
God Bless