Detaching with Love
Living in a Pinkful Place
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 7,545
Detaching with Love
I know this was a reading for yesterday but it was way too good not to share today - I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!
HUGS,
Rita
Sharing Experience Strength & Hope in Nar-Anon
Detaching with Love January 28
Living with an active addict is stressful and I constantly feel as though I am walking on eggs. When I harbor a mistaken sense of responsibility for someone else’s well-being and safety, when my sanity and well-being is adversely affected by the actions of the addict, when I find myself worrying and losing sleep because the addict is out partying, when I worry that I may say the wrong thing and “cause” him to go back out, then I am not practicing detachment.
By detaching with love, I can stop feeling responsible for the addict’s well-being and behavior. I have learned in Nar-Anon that addiction is a disease. It is not my fault! I didn’t cause it, I can’t control it and I can’t cure it. I have discovered by practicing detachment that I can relieve myself of the mistaken guilt and responsibility I felt.
Walking on eggs always results in broken eggs. Living with an addict causes stress. I think of detachment as a tight rope and the addict as eggs. I use the right rope to walk above the eggs. I practice walking on the rope so I will not fall and break the eggs, but walking a tight rope is not easy; it takes a lot of practice. At first, I am sure to make mistakes, to slip and break a few eggs. However, if I practice and learn to walk the rope, I will eventually be able to achieve my goal. The same is true for detachment.
Thought for Today: Detachment is one tool I can use to separate myself from the chaos, fear and mistaken responsibility that result from living with active addiction.
“Feel the feeling. Choose the behavior.” ~ Charles Rumberg
HUGS,
Rita
Sharing Experience Strength & Hope in Nar-Anon
Detaching with Love January 28
Living with an active addict is stressful and I constantly feel as though I am walking on eggs. When I harbor a mistaken sense of responsibility for someone else’s well-being and safety, when my sanity and well-being is adversely affected by the actions of the addict, when I find myself worrying and losing sleep because the addict is out partying, when I worry that I may say the wrong thing and “cause” him to go back out, then I am not practicing detachment.
By detaching with love, I can stop feeling responsible for the addict’s well-being and behavior. I have learned in Nar-Anon that addiction is a disease. It is not my fault! I didn’t cause it, I can’t control it and I can’t cure it. I have discovered by practicing detachment that I can relieve myself of the mistaken guilt and responsibility I felt.
Walking on eggs always results in broken eggs. Living with an addict causes stress. I think of detachment as a tight rope and the addict as eggs. I use the right rope to walk above the eggs. I practice walking on the rope so I will not fall and break the eggs, but walking a tight rope is not easy; it takes a lot of practice. At first, I am sure to make mistakes, to slip and break a few eggs. However, if I practice and learn to walk the rope, I will eventually be able to achieve my goal. The same is true for detachment.
Thought for Today: Detachment is one tool I can use to separate myself from the chaos, fear and mistaken responsibility that result from living with active addiction.
“Feel the feeling. Choose the behavior.” ~ Charles Rumberg
Living in a Pinkful Place
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 7,545
Yeah -me too - I wish we had an Nar-Anon meeting in our area - but my Al-Anon meeting is a good one so I'll keep going to it and just read my Nar-Anon material outside the meeting!!
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