I have hope that I can recover. I have hope that with hard work, the help of friends, and the grace of a Power Greater ten myself, I can begin to lead a normal life, despite what I have been through and the damage it has caused. I took the lessons in negativity and despair I learned as a child, and embellished them as an adult. I accept the negativity as if it were a fact, and I developed it as if it were an art. I live in a prison of my own making. I have hope that I can discover the origins of my troubles and accept responsibility for dealing with them. There is no one left to blame. The job of recovery belongs to me and my Higher Power.

I hope that I will not continue to reach toward sick people and ask them to solve my life for me. I hope I can do my own homework. I hope that I can trust myself enough to let all my feelings surface. I hope I can learn that accepting a horrible feeling is not nearly as dangerous as stuffing one deep within me. I hope I can realize that when looking in the mirror, I am looking at the problem.....as well as the solution! I hope I can find my own voice. I hope I can learn to be myself rather then a composite of what others want me to be. I hope to be able to look at my past, let go of it, and move on. Because I was willing to look at my past, I am able to be excited about my future.