It was hard to hear the voice on the telephone over the rain pelting outside my window. “Is that you, Joan? You don’t sound like yourself. Is something wrong?” It was “Joan,” six weeks sober, checking in with her sponsor on the coldest, wettest night of the year, in a voice I hardly recognized. “IContinue reading “Rules Without Reason – Grapevine Article February 1987 By E.E.”
Category Archives: Distortion
Hiding Myself – Touchstone March 16th
When self is hidden from everybody else … it seems also to become hidden even from ourself, and it permits disease and death to gnaw into our substance without our clear knowledge. –Sidney Jourard Reovery is in knowing ourselves honestly and learning to have loving relationships with others. Many of us have had close callsContinue reading “Hiding Myself – Touchstone March 16th”
‘Let It Go’ To ‘Let It Be’ – Language Of Letting Go March 10th Melodie Beattie
Life is a series of letting go’s– an “infinite” series of letting go’s. All things in life are given us on loan. Stand face-to-face with life, learn to let go, and whatever comes our way– success or failure, joy or sorrow, support or betrayal, light or darkness– it all blesses us. Once we have learnedContinue reading “‘Let It Go’ To ‘Let It Be’ – Language Of Letting Go March 10th Melodie Beattie”
From Denial To Acceptance – Language Of Letting Go February 22nd
Many of us lived in situations where it wasn’t okay to identify, have, or talk about problems. Denial became a way of life and our way of dealing with problems. In recovery, many of us still fear problems. We may spend more time reacting to a problem than we do solving it. We miss theContinue reading “From Denial To Acceptance – Language Of Letting Go February 22nd”
To Take Responsibility – As Bill Sees It #145
Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership , and brotherhood with all men and women, of whatever description, is a moving and fascinating adventure. But every AA has found that he can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing surveyContinue reading “To Take Responsibility – As Bill Sees It #145”
My Mind And I – Grapevine Article September 1997 By Knoba D.
I was in my sister’s house, living in the basement, next to the pool table, unemployed and for all practical purposes, unemployable. At the few interviews I did manage to get, I was vague and evasive. My creative genius–my mind–advised me there was something terribly wrong with my life. My mind told me, “If youContinue reading “My Mind And I – Grapevine Article September 1997 By Knoba D.”
Feeling Good Isn’t The Point – Just For Today – February 4th
“For us, recovery is more than just pleasure.” Basic Text, p. 43 ❖ In our active addiction, most of us knew exactly how we were going to feel from one day to the next. All we had to do was read the label on the bottle or know what was in the bag. We plannedContinue reading “Feeling Good Isn’t The Point – Just For Today – February 4th”
Truthful Lives – Touchstone January 30th Reflection
Man can live his truth, his deepest truth, but cannot speak it. –Archibald MacLeish For many, being addicts meant living double lives. There were public selves whom others knew, and private selves whom no one met. It was a compulsive world, and both sides were false. Many of us grew up in addicted families andContinue reading “Truthful Lives – Touchstone January 30th Reflection”
Worshipers All – As Bill Sees It #23
We found that we had been indeed worshippers. What a state of mental goose flesh that used to bring on! Had we not variously worshipped people, sentiment, things, money, and ourselves? And then, with a better motive, had we not worshipfully beheld the sunset, the sea, or a flower? Who of us had not lovedContinue reading “Worshipers All – As Bill Sees It #23”
Eliminating Shame Through The Principles and Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous by Steve K.
The word shame is derived from the Indo-European ‘skein’, which means to hide. Shame makes us want to hide from ourselves, and our peers – making shame an existentially isolating state of mind. Feeling shame makes a person dejection-based, passive, or helpless, causing the ashamed person to focus more on devaluing or condemning his entireContinue reading “Eliminating Shame Through The Principles and Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous by Steve K.”