chicken vs egg
Hey There WhoAmI ---
In your original post, you wrote, "I am seeing a therapist and he tells me that I need to work on issues in my past and my life that have caused me to have all of these feelings. He says we can't do that until I get sober. It's kind of like a chicken vs. egg argument. Am I a drunk because I'm messed up or am I messed up because I'm a drunk? How can I stay sober if I feel this way about myself?"
In answer to that last question ("How can I stay sober if I feel this way about myself").....you can't, but there is hope.... (o: .... you can change your thinking, and thusly change your feelings.... (o:
I'm not a member of the 'chicken or egg' group ---- before I started on the road to recovery.....yes, I had issues.....and yes, I was an alcoholic, BUT there were plenty of folks out there who had my same issues and were NOT alcoholics, AND there were plenty of other alcoholics out there who didn't share my issues.....
For me, I drank/used because I was an alcoholic/addict....no if's, and's or but's about it.....(and no issues to blame.....for me that would just taking my issues and using them for excuses....
....and, I had issues.....BUT I didn't use my alcoholism, my being an alcoholic, as the 'reason/excuse' for these issues.....
Where these 'chickens' & 'eggs' may be mitigating factors in eachother's lives; that's all they are.....and I treated them separately --- alcohol and drugs first.....then the 'issues' that were still left.....
I hope this helps.....but then, after all, this is just my ESH on the subject, and I know that way of working the 'Program' of recovery may just get someone else drunk or high......these are just my opinions, and worked for me.... (o:
NoelleR
DOS: 6/23/86