How Writing Can Help Your Recovery Efforts (and a place to share your story)

The benefits of creative writing for our well-being has been well documented and researched. Talk to anyone who keeps a journal, and even they will tell you the beneficial, holistic outcomes from writing at the end of a busy day.

For me writing has been lifesaving. People in recovery have a list of very similar challenging character traits for which the practice of writing is a powerful remedy. I have had dozens of conversations with people in recovery who talk about their obsessive thinking, anxiety, restlessness, lack of focus, isolation – and so on.

For me, writing has been so helpful in controlling all those difficult traits. My thoughts would swirl around my head crashing into each other, causing me to become anxious and on edge. I found it hard to engage with other people and the anxiety I felt was debilitating. It was suggested to me, by practically everyone I met in my recovery circle, to begin writing to help me focus and separate the tangled mess that was my head.

So I began. For the first time I could observe myself, my thoughts and my ideas. I was then able to see myself differently and in a more positive light. For the first time I could see exactly who I am. I became acquainted with my own opinions and beliefs. I discovered what my strengths, fears and joys were. I found that I wasn’t such a bad person after all.

What started with a few sentences in a journal every night, grew into volumes of hand writing and then to dozens of articles published and to short stories in print in books and magazines. It turned into having very enjoyable and sometimes very hard conversations with other people who read my work. It manifested travel and adventure and making life-long friends. It turned into a means to find self-confidence and self-belief and incredible bravery. It turned into me becoming well.

It is quite something when, for the first time, someone emails you thanking you for your work. Rather than being an ego boost, it is actually quite humbling and makes your decision to share your story with the world very worthwhile.

I wanted to provide a space where other people could find support to write and have their work published. I Love Recovery Cafe was created with the help of the InTheRooms.com team and for five years it has gone from strength to strength. I Love Recovery has now moved to the InTheRooms.com new homepage where it can be viewed and enjoyed by many more people.

If you would like to share your story, but are not sure where to start, you can email me at nicky@intherooms.com.

Submission is open to everyone. It is not specific to any fellowship or recovery path. It will encompass all recovering people, no matter what your circumstance or situation. This is about creating community and individual empowerment and show the world that behind every story is a real person.

Everyone has something unique to offer. You have a wealth of wisdom, knowledge and experience inside you that the world needs. I look forward to talking with you about what you would like to write. Go on – be brave!