Fear...
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That's why I say...Many people need that and I'm all for that....I just didn't think it was right for me...I felt worse taking that stuff than not...I needed a spritual overhaul...Not a medical one...But for anyone taking meds that work for them...I encourage you to continue. That's what they are for.
I think it's wonderful when we can overcome fear, as it certainly has the potential to virtually control our lives. But it comes from our deepest instincts for survival, which is why it is so hard to master. Fear keeps us safe. If humans were born without fear we would walk off cliffs, pick up deadly snakes and spiders, take terrible risks in all directions. Our ancestors who had the least fear probably didn't survive to pass on their genes.
Fear is a bad master and a good slave. We need just enough to keep us safe, but not so much we are handicapped by it.
I don't agree that it is a moral defect, as it is a natural instinct that everyone is born with, but I do agree it can ruin one's life if allowed to go unchecked.
Fear is a bad master and a good slave. We need just enough to keep us safe, but not so much we are handicapped by it.
I don't agree that it is a moral defect, as it is a natural instinct that everyone is born with, but I do agree it can ruin one's life if allowed to go unchecked.
Course it's not just fear that makes the alcoholic drink.. What about anger? Or sorrow? Depression is my biggest trigger. And then there is the other big one: resentment. For most alkies I think any unpleasant feeling can be a trigger...
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Anger...Sorrow...Depression...Resentment...All fear based emotions.
A good quote on fear.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
― Nelson Mandela
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
― Nelson Mandela
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I listened to the Joe and Charlie series on Step Four, with a special section on fear. Later that day, I get a call from my medical care team saying I have to retake a mammogram. The fear rocketed through my mind and body in a second.
But, what can I do but let God remove this fear? Not my will but thine be done.
But, what can I do but let God remove this fear? Not my will but thine be done.
Sapling: not a bad theory, except for the fact that I don't like being in charge of others either! Too much pressure!
Wakeup: sorry to hear about your mammogram. But it doesnt necessarily mean there's anything wrong - sometimes the image isn't clear, or it's just a benign cyst.
Wakeup: sorry to hear about your mammogram. But it doesnt necessarily mean there's anything wrong - sometimes the image isn't clear, or it's just a benign cyst.
Control is also another form of fear.
Resentments come from not being able to control another, so we react, which is also a defense mechanism. When I resent another, it is often because I see my own behavior in what they are or aren't doing/saying, so this is when I see me; I can then change my behavior or reaction to an action.
Resentments come from not being able to control another, so we react, which is also a defense mechanism. When I resent another, it is often because I see my own behavior in what they are or aren't doing/saying, so this is when I see me; I can then change my behavior or reaction to an action.
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It's from this line in the Big Book Sally...Have you read that yet?
This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn't deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling?
Pg 67 BB first edition
This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn't deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling?
Pg 67 BB first edition
Yes, I've read the BB many times. A very clever piece of work, given the times it was set in. Sometimes I get a little irritated by the high-flown emotive style, but then in the thirties and forties that was the style...I don't agree with every single word, but it's the best and most accurate book I've ever read about alcoholism.
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Yes, I've read the BB many times. A very clever piece of work, given the times it was set in. Sometimes I get a little irritated by the high-flown emotive style, but then in the thirties and forties that was the style...I don't agree with every single word, but it's the best and most accurate book I've ever read about alcoholism.
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