| Day 4
Day 4 Quote: One is too many
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble."
Once we've made the decision to let go of our defects, its foolish to expect immediate results. If they don't materialize quickly we start to waffle. Like making a New Year's resolution to cut sugar out of our diet. Pretty soon we find ourselves rationalizing that after all we don't need to be fanatics about it. We could probably have jsut one or two after-dinner mints or perhaps a few mouthfuls of sherbert.
Talk to anyone who has successfully stopped smoking for a number of years, following failed attempt after failed attempt, and they'll tell you that the surest way to fall back into addiction is to smoke "just one." Recovered alcoholics report that: "One is too many. And a thousand aren't enough." Overeaters Anonymous members say that the moment they introduce one mint or one taste of sherbert into their systems, they're off and running.
It's the same way with our other defects of character We need to resist the temptation to slip back into them in the same way--and with the same tools---that we resist slipping back into the addiction or compulsion that brought us into the program in the first place.
Recovery is a much more complex process than we might have thought at the beginning. This is why it takes time and patience to really focus on our responsibilities rather than complaining about the bad hand life has dealt us. At the onset, it's awkward and hard to conform to this step, but the payoof is enormous.
Today's Step: I avoid the temptation to fall back into my old ways. | Step by Step. Muriel Zink
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NOTE: All BB quotes are from the 1st Edition of the Big Book
Depression is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of being too strong for too long.
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