Five

Has anyone else been politically kneecaped in recovery? Have you lost all interest in say Republican values, womans rights, social control, capitalisim, communisim, feminisim, globalization, terrorisim?

I hate the word "empowered" - reminds me of quack therapists - but I have felt thoroughly 'disempowered', not only from my drinking, but from recovery as well. I no longer read the newspapers, I no longer care about causes that are close to my heart, I can no longer deciper between right or left and have conviction in my political ideas.

This is about to change. I am in academia at the moment, and I hope that I can start getting active again in things that matter to me on a global scale. I used to be political and feel all moral about it, now I am hoping to get involved in pragmatic issues.

Just my thoughts...

best

You have not lost anything, you are growing to the next higher plan.

When I was a little boy, I played with little toys.
Now that I am older, my toys are much bolder.



Metamorphosis change a caterpillar into a butterfly.
Think of what you are going through as finding new wings.

miss communicat

Maybe all that academia is frying your brain....lol

passions arise from within the heart. crusadeing and/or activism will surely follow the lead of a bright heart.

as your sobriety matures, priorities will rearrange. keep your corner of the world growing and clean as "you brighten your bright virtue", (I Ching), and one day, you can look back and see how activist you truly have been.

Beachbabe

Maybe you are a little depressed? Depression makes me lose interest in most everything. Dont tell noone but in my third week clean, I didnt even bother to get in the shower one day. 48 hours... no bath. Thats just naaaasty.

Five

IT will come - active is a good expression.

Be it community, or just general. I am a sit around and think guy and that is okay, but it becomes a problem when the only thing I stand for is the ideas in my head. Its best to put some of them into cause and affect.

Cheers people, see you around.

rose petals

hey five
i know eaxctly what you are saying--its like--gosh i dont know how to explain it--its like i can see now and its like there are no absolutes--i mean it is not black and white--wish i could explain better--its like both sides are right at the same time and i have no idea what i think--i cant explain iy but i think im on the right track with this...
Laura

Peter

I lost interest in cricket........does that count...?

Five

stopping drinking changes everything...for the better. its just, as i say, spending time to work out what the hell is going on with myself and the world.

No, cricket does not count Peter. Cricket is shallow. I am talking about deep things that only pretentious liberals understand.

Five

i think that what i am trying to say is that just coz I am an alky, does not mean I should not or cannot get involved in broader debates and political ideas.

I was too scared at first, I think.

any i have got to go other wise i will just contine blabbering cra p.

Five

My below post is the grammer and writing of a well meaning four year old.

I must learn to check what I write.

CarolD

I do understand Five...
Before and when I was a drinker I had passions as to certain causes.
I lost the flame when I drank alcoholically for 5/6 years.

Now I have regained my zeal...
These days...
my primary cause is to help other alcoholics.
I am also doing a lot in my community

I have narrowed my focus from "save the world'
to "each one reach one"....

Five

LoL - nice Carol.

michaelj

Five,
Don't worry about losing interest in politics through your recovery. When you are getting into established sobriety it is an all-enccompassing project and the concerns of local and global politics are diminished. Your appetite for these matters will return if you feed it.
Michael
PS Cricket is not shallow, it is a sport to be savoured and a matter of endless contemplation. It has the power to raise the spirits and gladden the soul. Those poor unfortunates who do not have cricket as a national summer game are indeed impoverished by their loss. Middlesex versus Kent at Lords, the home of cricket, tomorrow, heaven on earth.
PPS Where's the green thing?

Peter

I beg your pardon.......cricket is NOT shallow.Tis a highly technical and scientific game..

brigid

As an Aussie, I have to agree, NO SPORT is shallow, it is a great way to spend time.

Five, I am sure that you are just starting to see bigger pictures and the world through a different set of eyes. The things that are important issues to me change as I do, although I understand the things that were important to me yesterday. Does that make sense?

I find that I am narrowing the things that I feel strongly about, there are just too many things in this world for me to be involved in everything. Now I am interested in things that make a difference to me and my world and I let others look after things that make a difference to them and their world. I can be interested and aware, but unless I am involved I do not have motivation to get all overly worked up.

lots of love,
Brigid

laurie6781

Five:

I was just the opposite. All the years I drank I gave a rats azz about what was going on in the world, or around me for that matter. Then after I got sober, I was so busy trying to work, and go to meetings, and work a "program" that it took some time.

Slowly at about 3 years I started reading the newspaper again, and watching news and when I would go to the library to research (no internet yet, lol) I was also looking for recent events, etc.

It takes time for all of us to "balance out" in sobriety, and maybe because sobriety is more important, we also learn to take our time and "pick our battles" so to speak. It will return. Your inertia will lift and you will become passionate about something. Give it time.

JMHO garnered from my E S & H

Love and (((((to all))))),

Don S

I don't know if it's shallow or deep, but it is definitely incomprehensible to me.

Peter

I am not familiar with the term 'Political kneecapping" did you make that up or is it a valid expression that people in your part of the world use?

To seriously answer your question Five.

Yes I do think I understand what you are talking about. However I would not exactly say that I LOST interest in many things that were happening in the world.

For me it was more by design that I began to disassociate myself from things I was once very passionate about. Example, politics and sports.I was fanatical about cricket and football (real football ,not that game they play in America where they throw the ball instead of kicking it lol)

I stopped following it because I realized it was too much of a strain on my serenity.

I was very much into politics when I was drinkingbut recovery made me realize that I was never going to me able to realistically make a difference to what the politicians wanted to do so I quit the debating society.