Blog entry for:
Thu, Jul 13, 2006 07:14:39 AM
∞ whether i have thirty days or thirty years clean, ∞
posted: Thu, Jul 13, 2006 07:14:39 AM
i must be willing to ask for help when i need it.
and that is almost always a problem for me, you know the asking for help. after all, it was all about appearances for me in active addiction and that thought still creeps into my recovery on a nearly daily basis. i mean how does it look for me, the grand old dude of my local fellowship to be having tough times, sharing about those bad times in a meeting and sitting there and actually listening to suggestions from the members in attendance? like i might actually have a modicum of humility, not much mind you, but, enough to be real about what is occurring in my life. i wish this was the case with me on a continual basis, but unfortunately i gotta get pretty fucked up internally and that landscape has to be pretty bleak before i will break down and let someone know what exactly is going on with me.
and now that i think about it, exactly what pay-off do i get for waiting until i am in such dire straits? it makes my girl friend fucking nutz because she thinks i am incapable of letting her in on what is going on. it drives away my family and friends because i behave with total disregard of anyone else’s feelings. and i probably create an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt in the rooms, and in the lives of the men i sponsor. so the payoff for looking good is less self-acceptance, more self-flagellation, and greater distance from myself and all of those who care about me. YUMMY, sounds so appealing think i will run out and get me some! not!
so exactly what is this addict to do? well, i can start by sharing in this little forum that i am not confident at all about my future, the part of me i call my addict, keeps telling me that in just a few days everyone i currently am working for will find out what a sham i am and kick me to the curb. that voice also tells me that my girl friend is just hanging around until a better prospect comes along, she is lying to me when she says she loves me. and that voice tells me that no matter what, it is inevitable, i will use again, why prolong the misery, just do it and get it over. i know that voice is a liar, but the siren song of what it suggests is some days quite difficult to resist. but today i know that i am only a regular garden variety addict, who has more that a few issues about being worthy of making a decision or two. i can recover and grow and perhaps today is the day i will put pen to paper and move forward in my step work. or maybe i will just let myself get a bit sicker -- after all that choice is mine to make today!
and that is almost always a problem for me, you know the asking for help. after all, it was all about appearances for me in active addiction and that thought still creeps into my recovery on a nearly daily basis. i mean how does it look for me, the grand old dude of my local fellowship to be having tough times, sharing about those bad times in a meeting and sitting there and actually listening to suggestions from the members in attendance? like i might actually have a modicum of humility, not much mind you, but, enough to be real about what is occurring in my life. i wish this was the case with me on a continual basis, but unfortunately i gotta get pretty fucked up internally and that landscape has to be pretty bleak before i will break down and let someone know what exactly is going on with me.
and now that i think about it, exactly what pay-off do i get for waiting until i am in such dire straits? it makes my girl friend fucking nutz because she thinks i am incapable of letting her in on what is going on. it drives away my family and friends because i behave with total disregard of anyone else’s feelings. and i probably create an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt in the rooms, and in the lives of the men i sponsor. so the payoff for looking good is less self-acceptance, more self-flagellation, and greater distance from myself and all of those who care about me. YUMMY, sounds so appealing think i will run out and get me some! not!
so exactly what is this addict to do? well, i can start by sharing in this little forum that i am not confident at all about my future, the part of me i call my addict, keeps telling me that in just a few days everyone i currently am working for will find out what a sham i am and kick me to the curb. that voice also tells me that my girl friend is just hanging around until a better prospect comes along, she is lying to me when she says she loves me. and that voice tells me that no matter what, it is inevitable, i will use again, why prolong the misery, just do it and get it over. i know that voice is a liar, but the siren song of what it suggests is some days quite difficult to resist. but today i know that i am only a regular garden variety addict, who has more that a few issues about being worthy of making a decision or two. i can recover and grow and perhaps today is the day i will put pen to paper and move forward in my step work. or maybe i will just let myself get a bit sicker -- after all that choice is mine to make today!
∞ DT ∞
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.
Another Look!
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
2) The great Tao (or way) is very level and easy; but people love
the by-ways.