Blog entry for:
Sat, Dec 2, 2006 08:21:22 AM
↔ my recovery must come first. job or no job, relationship or no relationship, ↔
posted: Sat, Dec 2, 2006 08:21:22 AM
recovery is the foundation of my life, making everything else possible.
i often forget that if i was not walking this path, i would not have a job or relationship to interfere with what i need to do, to not USE NO MATTER WHAT!
wait, i do not have a job, and working for myself seems to make things worse, there is always an unfinished project on my desktop, a client that has fires that need to be extinguished, and i need to work seven days a week eighteen hours a day to keep up. after all it is my responsibility to meet the expectation of my clients, regardless of whether i am in recovery or not. i am getting quite used to the fund flow in and out of my bank accounts and somewhere, someone told me that he who dies with the most toys wins! although i have yet to divert myself with extraneous toys, i am beginning to see that day approaching as my consumer debt and obligations begin to dissolve under a flurry of over payments.
so what does my current glimmer of financial success have to do with priorities in my life? well i can see me slipping quite easily into the money is everything mode. there was once a time in my life where i believed i was not materialistic, and the truth was that i lied to myself because i lacked the resources to chase down the material things that i wanted. self-deception prevented me from feeling even worse that i did in my active addiction. these days, i have the means to get those things i have always desired but faked myself into believing that i did not. and that behavior will only reinforce the notion that i do not have time to care for my recovery, and recovery will start to slide down my priority list. in fact the evidence is there , that is already happening. i have no group level service commitment, i only go to two meetings a week on a regular basis and i am finding more reasons not to attend even those, and i have not called my sponsor in two months. no wonder i a seething cauldron of anger these days.
HMMMMMMM?
what to do? well give Carlos a call would be a good first step, then spend a bit of time with my step work, and make sure i get to a meeting. simple enough, and perhaps i will take my own suggestions today. or perhaps not, after all.....
i often forget that if i was not walking this path, i would not have a job or relationship to interfere with what i need to do, to not USE NO MATTER WHAT!
wait, i do not have a job, and working for myself seems to make things worse, there is always an unfinished project on my desktop, a client that has fires that need to be extinguished, and i need to work seven days a week eighteen hours a day to keep up. after all it is my responsibility to meet the expectation of my clients, regardless of whether i am in recovery or not. i am getting quite used to the fund flow in and out of my bank accounts and somewhere, someone told me that he who dies with the most toys wins! although i have yet to divert myself with extraneous toys, i am beginning to see that day approaching as my consumer debt and obligations begin to dissolve under a flurry of over payments.
so what does my current glimmer of financial success have to do with priorities in my life? well i can see me slipping quite easily into the money is everything mode. there was once a time in my life where i believed i was not materialistic, and the truth was that i lied to myself because i lacked the resources to chase down the material things that i wanted. self-deception prevented me from feeling even worse that i did in my active addiction. these days, i have the means to get those things i have always desired but faked myself into believing that i did not. and that behavior will only reinforce the notion that i do not have time to care for my recovery, and recovery will start to slide down my priority list. in fact the evidence is there , that is already happening. i have no group level service commitment, i only go to two meetings a week on a regular basis and i am finding more reasons not to attend even those, and i have not called my sponsor in two months. no wonder i a seething cauldron of anger these days.
HMMMMMMM?
what to do? well give Carlos a call would be a good first step, then spend a bit of time with my step work, and make sure i get to a meeting. simple enough, and perhaps i will take my own suggestions today. or perhaps not, after all.....
∞ 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!
∞ priorities ∞ 226 words ➥ Thursday, December 2, 2004 by: donnotα priorities and my life ω 429 words ➥ Friday, December 2, 2005 by: donnot
α i may be subject to using excuses for not attending meetings and being of service ω 591 words ➥ Sunday, December 2, 2007 by: donnot
α i have to attend meetings, work the steps, call my sponsor, and be of service to God and others. ω 458 words ➥ Tuesday, December 2, 2008 by: donnot
Θ before coming to recovery, i used many excuses to justify my use of drugs Θ 548 words ➥ Wednesday, December 2, 2009 by: donnot
¢ i have to KEEP my recovery first and my priorities in order ¢ 569 words ➥ Thursday, December 2, 2010 by: donnot
¡ recovery is the foundation of my LIFE, making everything else possible ! 555 words ➥ Friday, December 2, 2011 by: donnot
± job or no job, relationship or no relationship ± 643 words ➥ Sunday, December 2, 2012 by: donnot
µ if i do not make recovery my first priority, chances are that µ 622 words ➥ Monday, December 2, 2013 by: donnot
∅ only when i make recovery my first priority ∅ 817 words ➥ Tuesday, December 2, 2014 by: donnot
✔ recovery : 718 words ➥ Wednesday, December 2, 2015 by: donnot
❕ using a myriad ❗ 610 words ➥ Friday, December 2, 2016 by: donnot
🏰 the foundation 🏯 432 words ➥ Saturday, December 2, 2017 by: donnot
🏠 the simple actions 🏡 725 words ➥ Sunday, December 2, 2018 by: donnot
🤨 using excuses 🤮 548 words ➥ Monday, December 2, 2019 by: donnot
😒 using excuses 😉 415 words ➥ Wednesday, December 2, 2020 by: donnot
👋 justifying my path 👋 273 words ➥ Thursday, December 2, 2021 by: donnot
🥀 making 🧿 616 words ➥ Friday, December 2, 2022 by: donnot
🤔 accepting reality?! 🤔 380 words ➥ Saturday, December 2, 2023 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
4) Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical.