Originally Posted by
2muchpain 
... Maybe giving to myself means giving to others.
John, I know it seems crazily counter-intuitive, but trust me, it's not a new idea. Ever heard of the beatitudes ? Or read the prayer of saint Francis?
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
I'll be volunteering on Christmas day with a merry (or not so merry perhaps) little band of AAers. We'll be serving dinners and cleaning up afterwards so that around 100 people won't spend the day alone or hungry. It might be hard work. Some of it will be a bit of a drag. In some ways it's a little inconvenient. But I won't be drinking, or lonely, and I'll leave for home with the gift of gratitude, which has a far better taste than the self-pity I could have sat at home with.
Why not just try it? Its not like it's a lifelong commitment or anything. Even if it's just a couple of hours a week, it's not going to steal as much time from you as the booze did. If it doesn't work out you can easily stop doing it.
BB