Summer
I am one of those people that you can't shut up, until you put a podium in front of me or ask me to speak to a large group. I never liked "speaking" when the focus of others was on me.
But at my meetings, I often found that even brief statememnts spoken by others had a profound impact on my recovery. Little things that just clicked with me and helped me understand. So I started with little things and eventually got more comfortable. These people at meetings are friends. They don't care how well I express myself or if I look nervous, they are there to listen and help me, just as I listen and help them.
Now I even volunteer to speak at recovery houses, usually at gatherings that include friends and families of the people in program. And many of the addicts are also codependent and misunderstood thinking that codependents were just the other side of addiction. I was nervous at first, and then I learned to just speak from my heart and to leave lots of time at the end for discussion and questions.
It takes time and is scary at first, but with practice becomes a vital part of our recovery, learning to express our feelings and share the message.