Hi Robby, talk about a very timely thread for me. I too am one of those people who by nature, frankly, takes a bowerbird approach - to sobriety and to life in general.
[Robby QUOTE]
I simply approach all recovery resources as supports and specialised tools to achieve a certain end goal, I've no difficultly with
blending my experiences as an holistic eclectic approach. Recovery is entirely an art, an inside job, is my experience. I take what I want and need and leave the rest without regret.
[/QUOTE]
I didn't bold your 'I've no difficulty...' part, because I do have difficulty! Insofar as I resist doctrinalism (yes, I believe it's an 'ism' :-)), I then find myself so often at odds with most of my AA friends, including my sponsor. She's a really lovely, serene, caring lady.....but she fervently undertook her own Step work in (to my bowerbird, eclectic, independent mind) a highly regulated, 'to the letter' manner, as taught by her own sponsor.
This means that, now I'm resuming sobriety after relapse as some of you know, I want to use each and every one of the numerous approaches, incl AVRT, AA meets, some outpatient groups (which include mindfulness / meditation, art therapy, themed discussions, women's / men's discussion groups, explicitly named 'relapse prevention' groups - and of course RR, within its own logical epistemology, effectively says to that 'relapse, shmelapse!'). Plus, I hope to start some outside counselling sessions for depression etc.
Oh, and did I mention, walking the dog instead of lolling about like a sloth, gardening, getting out and about more to different parts of Melbourne, some of which are new where I now live, and others to revisit from years ago while I lived in the country, trying to re-start my old passions of drawing, painting, music making, writing.... etc etc etc?!
I like how you can separate being an AA member whilst also learning / practising so many other tools; I just don't know - yet - how to avoid feeling slightly dishonest, even a bit schizoid! if / when I can't speak my own truths about the other things which resonate for me, when I'm with the dear AA people, especially my sponsor. There's the rub, for me anyway.
I'll watch this thread very closely to that end!
BTW Robby, it was great to hear the details of your life and work since '81!!!! Totally agree with you, too, about the industrialisation, as it were, of what you nicely identify as 'street level peer to peer' work. I used to be involved in such work via my ex-h, with teenage street kids, many moons ago, and so I 'get' the difference.
Now: off to consult my HP or whatever (my inner self?) about whether to get ready for either a meeting OR an outpatient group (they usually clash, timewise, so can't do both). OMMMMMMM..........
