Old 07-25-2019, 06:22 PM
  # 6 (permalink)  
DriGuy
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Join Date: Nov 2018
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I experienced some aggravation, but mostly I experienced it's close cousin, resentment. This was both before and after getting sober. The Big Book mentions letting go of resentments, but it doesn't really teach us how. However, I did gain control of my resentments in discussions with other members of the group who coached me a bit and gave me some insight into why I was holding on to them. Once, I realized I was clinging to them for illogical reasons, I started to practice letting them go. This was not some overnight thing where the light comes on, and everything is fixed. I had to practice not thinking about my resentments and went out of my way to be nice to people I felt had betrayed me. This helped a lot.

I don't know if anything about this registers, but one of the things I think is that holding resentments and allowing ourselves to be triggered into aggravation can be habits. That's much of what was behind it for me. It was an easy habit for me to get into, and one of the harder habits for me to break. But it's a really unhealthy habit that can take a severe toll on our emotional well being.

You might give this habit issue some thought. It may or may not apply to you the way it did to me. I not completely free of this demon, but I've got things to a manageable level. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I still sometimes allow myself the indulgence of a resentment as long as it doesn't mess with my head and make me crazy. I'm not a pro at this. I'm just a lot better than I was. Right now, I happy with my progress. Maybe I'll get even better at it. But I'm at a place where I don't think about it much anymore.
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