∞ how do i treat the newest members when they arrive, worn out from their struggles with addiction? ∞
Posted: Wed, Apr 2, 2008 09:56:13 AM
when i put principles into action in my life, i attract newer members to this way, just as i was attracted to recovery. well i was to exactly attracted to recovery from the start, but that is an old story and one i do not need to rehash this morning. after coming around for a bit, a rather long bit, i finally had the desire to recover but i was way more than just fresh from the throes of active addiction.
so what do i hear today? well the same thing that one of my sponsees has been telling me since he first came to the program, his question is why would he want what we have to offer when he sees members with what he considers ‘significant’ acting like they did in active addiction. my pat response is: because not all of them act that way, look at the winners, not the actors, remember this is a program of progress not perfection. what i mean by ‘winners’ are those members that actually practice a program of active recovery. those members are readily apparent and can be seen without much effort. it is my desire to be one of those winners and not an actor, so i have to be diligent in living the program, not just mouthing the words. i think i do a good job of that, although i am hardly some sort of recovery saint or guru, i am just another human being, recovering from addiction, and i slip and act out all the time. true, it is less than when i came to recovery, but it still happens from time to time, with a greater frequency than i am comfortable with today. so it goes…
so my task today, based on what i heard in the reading is to live the program, in an active state and be the best recovering addict that i can be, forgive myself for not being perfect. and accept that i can always do better. anything else would be counterproductive.
so off to the trenches to put out a fire or two. it is a GOOD day to recover!
so what do i hear today? well the same thing that one of my sponsees has been telling me since he first came to the program, his question is why would he want what we have to offer when he sees members with what he considers ‘significant’ acting like they did in active addiction. my pat response is: because not all of them act that way, look at the winners, not the actors, remember this is a program of progress not perfection. what i mean by ‘winners’ are those members that actually practice a program of active recovery. those members are readily apparent and can be seen without much effort. it is my desire to be one of those winners and not an actor, so i have to be diligent in living the program, not just mouthing the words. i think i do a good job of that, although i am hardly some sort of recovery saint or guru, i am just another human being, recovering from addiction, and i slip and act out all the time. true, it is less than when i came to recovery, but it still happens from time to time, with a greater frequency than i am comfortable with today. so it goes…
so my task today, based on what i heard in the reading is to live the program, in an active state and be the best recovering addict that i can be, forgive myself for not being perfect. and accept that i can always do better. anything else would be counterproductive.
so off to the trenches to put out a fire or two. it is a GOOD day to recover!
∞ DT ∞