No Cure All

-
It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a cure-all, even for alcoholism.
— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 285
When I started my Twelve Step Fellowship for my alcoholism, I thought I could just go until I was "cured".  I also had the belief that the Twelve Step had magic powers that could save me.  I found there is much more than just being "sober".  I learned how to "recover".

I practice the principles I have learned in my program in all of my affairs but there are some things that the program cannot afford someone with my specific issues.  I suffer from depression and anxiety because of a chemical imbalance that I cannot control.  This was a separate issue from my drinking, which needed to also be addressed.  I had to seek medical help for these conditions.  If I don't keep my mental health up to par, then my ability to practice my Twelve Step program and connect with my Higher Power will suffer greatly.

I believe addiction and mental health issues are close relatives of one another but they are not the same.  I can work on my spiritual well-being but I cannot "work" my way into balanced brain chemicals.  Mental health issues are a disease just as addiction is.  Each has its own remedy.  I will be the first to admit that a lot of my mental health issues "lessened" as I became active in my program but they are still there wreaking havoc in my spirit.

It is best to explore ALL avenues of recovery.  The point of recovery is to be at your best emotionally, physically and spiritually so as to be a beacon for your Higher Power.

As the literature in my program states, you cannot transmit something you don't have.  You have to be at your best in all aspects of your being to be able to embrace the blessings of recovery.

Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Attitude Of Gratitude

-
Image
A THANKFUL HEART I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know. — AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37 I thank God everyday for leading me to AA.  I start my day with my Daily Reflection reading to put myself in the correct frame of mind.  I need an attitude adjustment the minute I wake up along with lots of coffee.  I am thankful for the life he has given me and blessings he has gifted me.   If I start to doubt God's plan for me and become ungrateful, my self seeking ways slowly creep back into my life.  I will lose sight of the plan he has for me.  I will become so wrapped up into my own world that I become of no use to others who need help.   I have to remember where God has put me and where I came from when I started my journey in recovery.  I cannot take those blessings f...
Read more

Self Pity

-
Image
"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have—life itself.” ~Walter Anderson Self pity can be dangerous if you allow it to control your actions and emotions. Bad things do happen and we have no control over it. We can control how we react. If you allow yourself to drown in self pity, it will keep you from moving forward.  I spent most of my drinking days steeped in self pity. Why me? Why do I have to deal this? Those were the questions I asked myself in between sips of beer. It was so easy to stay in the self pity mode. I carried my bitterness and self-destruction everywhere I went. I let it affect not only me but the people around me. If I didn't find the courage to face my pain head on, I was going to sink deeper into depression. And that is exactly wh...
Read more

I Am Home

-
Image
I'M PART OF THE WHOLE At once, I became a part—if only a tiny part—of a cosmos. . . . — AS BILL SEES IT, p. 225 I can remember countless meetings where I thought, "I'm not one of these people, I don't need a  program".  I didn't want to mingle with anybody, I just wanted to sit through the meeting and make up some ridiculous excuse why I couldn't stay and help clean up.  Since I didn't have a car, I would usually have my ride lined up to come early and wait outside the meeting. That way I could always leave quickly and give the old "goodbye shout"  to everyone.  I felt I didn't need to hang around, after all, the meeting was over right?   It wasn't until I began doing service work that I started to understand that I was one of them.  I was now part of an 'us'.  I remember my sponsor asked me to run the registration table at a Soberfest function we were having.  I couldn't understand why she would want me to d...
Read more