I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who are in the midst of recovery. I hear some common themes, and one thing that is consistent is how difficult it can be to live sober.
But there are also moments where we remember what life was like before addiction- the good times.
This blog post will explore how those in sobriety can find joy on their journey towards recovery by remembering the happy memories from their past.
Daily Reflections July 17
My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive.
Thus I think it can work out with emotional sobriety. If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God’s help, continually surrender these hobbling demands. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to Twelfth Step ourselves and others into emotional sobriety.THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 238
I was always looking for my emotional needs to be met. It took me a long time before I finally realized that the people around me were unreliable and dependent on alcohol as well.
This lack of trust in others made it difficult for myself, but started affecting every aspect of my life – from relationships with friends or family members to work opportunities at school.
Finally when I had lost all self-respect left, there was no way out other than surrendering completely and being willing to listen more carefully about what might help instead: sharing with newcomers who are also coping without knowing how they’ll make it through this cold darkness (or hopelessness).
Alcoholism is a disease of the soul that affects different people in different ways. For many, it reduces their ability to interact emotionally with others and leaves them feeling self-sufficient, self-reliant, or even lonely.
After years of using alcohol as my chemical mood changer I found myself dependent on it for any semblance of emotional stability and lost all trust in myself.
It wasn’t until I surrendered and began examining my own patterns while sharing openly with newcomers at AA meetings that I was able to ask humbly for help – something we can never do alone.