Stang

Seems like all advice concerning recovery is all "touchy, feel good, rainbows and sunshine". "Dont hold resentments, or be angry" .....what a load of do do! If it works for you I'm happy for ya but judging from the relapse rate I don't think it's working out. I don't mean walk around with your ass on your shoulders hell you might as well be drunk. No I mean basically two targets for your anger. Anyone who tries to run you over. I don't owe anyone the privilage of taking a dump on me. Target two is alcohol. I want to die sober and the day I die look it in the eye and say "**** you you thought ya had me didn't ya....didn't work out that way did it"! Yea I know it will always be around, been here 5000 years and ain't going nowhere but it won't take me!
There is something you can hold me to if I take another drink.

Dee74

If it works for you that's great Stang.

Acceptance works better for me tho - I'm not angry at alcohol - it's a liquid.
I just accept I can't drink it, and be who I want to be, so I have to choose.

I try not to get too angry at people either - that kinda stuff got me drunk in the first place.

D

Stang

I got drunk for two reasons. Worrying about what others thought. No I don't mean taking it to the extreme the other way and being an ass. The other reason...because I like being drunk! Loved it so much I did a lot of it and got addicted. Well the beast won't take me!

Lilly03

I think how you deal with anger depends on the person. I have trouble feeling and expressing anger and getting it out now is healthy for me. Even while drinking/using I usually internalized it to the point of now not knowing when I'm even angry. I think if you are an angry person and were very angry when drinking you may need to evaluate it but if you don't have any towards other people you need to find a way to get the anger out towards other people (in a healthy way).

Isaiah

I have never been one to throw away anger. I think it's a fine emotion in some situations. If I need it, I use it, and when the situation passes I let it go. I see no good in making myself angry for no cause but to be angry. That's just begging for trouble to me.

And I can't get angry at the alcohol itself. It never forced itself down my throat. It was my own hand that got it there. Getting angry at myself definitely wont keep me sober long.

Lilly03

I was trying to figure out how to say something like that. I can't be mad at alcohol and I can't be mad at myself....I think now I'm mad at the disease and I'm working on accepting it and not being angry. Being angry at something that is always going to "be" would be exhausting.

LaFemme

Thanks for the thought provoking post. I'm with Lilly...I've spent my whole life swallowing anger and there is a saying that depressionn is anger turned inwards. I think it depends on how you do anger...whether you let it consume you or purify you. I also agree with Lilly that if you were an angry drunk. Maybe your sobriety would greatly benefit from letting anger go.

As for being angry at alcohol...I don't want to give alcohol that much power...anger is a strrong emotion and I don't want to waste that energy on alcohol. I am ok with anger at the whole drinking culture...not for myself but for all the other lives it damages and continues to damage every day. I am close to all my friends kids...statistically a couple of them will end up alcoholics...that makes me angry.

As long as you deal with anger in a healthy manner though I don't think its a problem :-) you mention spite too...I don't see any benefit in that emotion