Just for Today
Monday, Dec. 3, 2012
"The explanation that alcoholism was a disease of a two-fold nature, an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind, cleared up a number of puzzling questions for me. ...
"The obsession of the mind was a little harder to understand, and yet everyone has obsessions of various kinds. The alcoholic has them to an exaggerated degree. Over a period of time, he has built up self-pity, resentments toward anyone and everyone who dares to cross him, vanity and a critical attitude are character defects that gradually creep in and become a part of his life. Living with fear and tension inevitably results in wanting to ease that tension, which alcohol seems to do temporarily." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "They Stopped in Time," Ch 10 ("It Might Have Been Worse"), p 380.
Just for today : "The alcoholic has (obsessions) to an exaggerated degree." If today I catch myself critical or resentful of something or someone, myself included, let me remember that I might be feeling an exaggerated emotion that is possibly one of my spiritual defects that began long before my drinking but was numbed with alcohol. If resentment comes easy to me even in sobriety or if I suspect my own expectations of myself are unrealistic, let me see that I may also expect too much of others and that I may resent them if they do not meet my standards. Likewise, let me see that I risk all sorts of self-destructive feelings if I fail to meet my own standards. Today, grant me honesty and knowledge to determine if the "exaggerated" feelings I harbored in my drinking days have carried into my sobriety and, if so, to find my answers in the 12 Steps. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012
Monday, Dec. 3, 2012
"The explanation that alcoholism was a disease
"The obsession of the mind was a little harder to understand, and yet everyone has obsessions of various kinds. The alcoholic has them to an exaggerated degree. Over a period of time, he has built up self-pity, resentments toward anyone and everyone who dares to cross him, vanity and a critical attitude are character defects that gradually creep in and become a part of his life. Living with fear and tension inevitably results in wanting to ease that tension, which alcohol seems to do temporarily." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "They Stopped in Time," Ch 10 ("It Might Have Been Worse"), p 380.
Just for today
No comments:
Post a Comment