In 1935, a gentleman named Bill W. and another named Doctor Bob came together for a meeting. Both men had been “hopeless alcoholics.” Though a physician, Doctor Bob had never been introduced to the concept of alcoholism as a disease. From that encounter, both men worked together to form the basis of what we know today as Alcoholics Anonymous, a group that has assisted millions of people in becoming free from addiction and inspired many other groups to free others from negative behaviors, including but not limited to Narcotics Anonymous and the companion group for families dealing with the effects of alcoholism, Al-Anon. Step one of their twelve step program begins with a simple yet powerful sentence: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable.” It seems obvious, but how can you overcome something if you can’t name it? We flounder through life this way so often, blindly stabbing at arbitrary factors, yet somehow missing the true root of our problems. We strive and struggle in the dark.
I’m not struggling with alcoholism, in case you were wondering; but I do have to take the first step and acknowledge a demon I’ve been needing to slay. My ADHD is running me, not I it. I have developed some strategies but not nearly enough to help me manage this disorder well. As a result, my life has become unmanageable. My house bounces back and forth between painfully clean and miserably messy. Bills are piling up, I’m dealing with crippling depression and anxiety, prolonged stress on my body has led to other health issues. So I pulled the trigger on a pet scheme of mine at long last. I went and found myself an ADHD coach.
The primary function of an ADHD coach is to equip you with the skills and strategies you need to manage this condition successfully. This isn’t a self-help book where you are given a range of strategies and you just have to figure it out. This is someone walking with you step by step, helping you put your life back into order and giving you advice tailor-made for YOUR struggle. It is someone to help you move forward from whatever wreck your life has become.
I’m going to be chronicling my journey with my coach from my initial meeting through the journey. Have you ever wanted to see what coaching is all about? Do you wonder what actually happens during a coaching session? Do you want to know if it can work for you? Follow along and we will discover this together!
Until next time,
Ren?
(Information about Alcoholics Anonymous was obtained from www.aa.org)
This sounds like a great idea. Having a “sponsor” of sorts can be helpful for all kinds of life obstacles.
I think my mother would have appreciated some kind of counseling for parents of kids with ADHD had their been any available at the time when my brother was first diagnosed, though that would have been more like Al-Anon.
I like in Akron, the birthplace of AA. I love how you opened with the story of Dr. Bob.
You are absolutely on the mark. It is such a similar concept. I love Dr. Bob’s story, and when I ran across it again shortly before writing this post, I knew I wanted to share it with my readers.