Blog entry for:

this entry in the JFT used to always rub me the wrong way because i just did not get it.

after all...
isn’t everyone in the room judging the quality of my recovery by how well things are going????
if i share my pain and suffering won't that make the newcomer less likely to stay around?????
who really wants to hear about how bad things are going????
is it not my responsibility to put a positive spin on everything i share???

well the answer to all of the above questions is a huge qualified MAYBE!
these days i do not care whether the state of my recovery is judged by what i share, it is more important to me to SAVE MY ASS and not worry about my FACE. after all if i am hurting, twisting or obsessing i NEED my friends and fellow travelers to offer assistance and support. i NEED them to share my pain so i can bare it. i NEED them to offer suggestions on how they handled issues similar to what i am suffering. i NEED them to call and talk to me when i am in a bag and meetings are the best place to let them know exactly what is going on.
i am actually powerless over whether a newcomer stays or goes and i now believe that honesty and the reaction of those in the rooms, will do more to encourage a newcomer to stay then all the "yippy skippy" BULLSHIT that i can dream up.
finally, the fact that i am having problems and STAYING CLEAN, and ATTENDING meetings is probably a greater attraction to a newcomer.
so all in all, i believe that sharing about the trials and tribulations of life and how i deal or do not deal with them is more important to my recovery and to the program in general than all the wonderful lies that i can manufacture by carefully editing what is going on in my life so it sounds wonderful.
-- DT --