The angel and devil thing........
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2018
Location: New York
Posts: 148
The angel and devil thing........
.........its annoying because the angel is chillin out all the time, everything is cool for the angel....
Then the stupid ******* devil comes along and screws up all the good work you just did..........the devil questions the angels good work. Was it really even that good?
Then BAM..........
Its like the angel never existed in the first place.
I guess its one of those things....you get it if you get it.
Then the stupid ******* devil comes along and screws up all the good work you just did..........the devil questions the angels good work. Was it really even that good?
Then BAM..........
Its like the angel never existed in the first place.
I guess its one of those things....you get it if you get it.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,313
hi YCDT2
I used to think like this too. The trouble is the Devil can always win.
I finally realised I'm not a passive partner in this. I get to choose which side wins.
If you don;t want to drink anymore - you don't have to
put your weight behind your 'angel'
D
I used to think like this too. The trouble is the Devil can always win.
I finally realised I'm not a passive partner in this. I get to choose which side wins.
If you don;t want to drink anymore - you don't have to
put your weight behind your 'angel'
D
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: NC
Posts: 5,141
I try not to blame the angel or the devil for my actions but I understand the metaphor.
I say to hell with the devil!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsNhNdnwgZg
I say to hell with the devil!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsNhNdnwgZg
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,152
Originally Posted by fishkiller 
I say to hell with the devil!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsNhNdnwgZg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsNhNdnwgZg
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Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Christchurch, NZ
Posts: 517
Devil vs angel is in my opinion, my ego vs my true self.
Or my base self vs my higher self.
Self will vs God's will.
Two voices in the same mind.
Ego is like a scavenging wild dog, always on the lookout for a way to separate me from my higher self and can and will use any little morsel of self pity, indignation, emotional hurt and such to feed feelings of resentment, revenge, anger and to grow the separation.
My go to has become simply to pray for my ego to be silenced and once that insidious little voice is quiet, I can hear the higher self giving a better solution than self pity, indignation, emotional hurt, resentment, revenge, anger and growing separation.
Or my base self vs my higher self.
Self will vs God's will.
Two voices in the same mind.
Ego is like a scavenging wild dog, always on the lookout for a way to separate me from my higher self and can and will use any little morsel of self pity, indignation, emotional hurt and such to feed feelings of resentment, revenge, anger and to grow the separation.
My go to has become simply to pray for my ego to be silenced and once that insidious little voice is quiet, I can hear the higher self giving a better solution than self pity, indignation, emotional hurt, resentment, revenge, anger and growing separation.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 739
I find to not drink and be angry at the angel for not letting you drink is so much easier then drinking and being angry at the devil.
Your mad at the angel a few minutes and your really not THAT mad, you can thank him the morning.
That anger at the devil can boil on for days and it's true misery, its anger, its sadness, its fear, its anxiety, its depression.
Your mad at the angel a few minutes and your really not THAT mad, you can thank him the morning.
That anger at the devil can boil on for days and it's true misery, its anger, its sadness, its fear, its anxiety, its depression.
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Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,402
It’s important to take an active stance to recovery in my experience. Ultimately one has to choose to use the tools to make sure the first drink doesn’t happen. AA is great for this as is SR. People who recover through any trauma/mental
illness have to take an active mindset to want to do everything they can to recover whilst making sure to act on this willingness.
illness have to take an active mindset to want to do everything they can to recover whilst making sure to act on this willingness.
12-Step Recovered Alkie
Join Date: May 2010
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 5,797
I like that story the way the Americana Indians used to tell it - that there was a good wolf and a bad wolf inside of us, locked in battle in an attempt to take over our lives. Which wolf wins? The one we feed.
We "feed" them with our actions - our behaviors. The interesting thing is that supporting the "bad" wolf is usually pretty easy. It's usually the things I WANT to do..... be angry, hate someone, hold a grudge, not take some action that would be helpful to me or to others because it seems like a hassle or too hard, distance myself from others, be judgmental, etc. Feeding the good wolf can be tough. Forgive when I don't want to. Be kind when I want to be angry. DO constructive things and stop doing destructive things.......even though the destructive things are a lot easier to do. Think about others and less about myself. Don't get drunk again but instead actively engage in a recovery process. Make efforts to be the type of person I wanted to be instead of sitting back and waiting for it to happen on it's own. In essence, it meant doing a lot of things I didn't necessarily "want" to do but knew I needed to do. Simple........but not easy. A price had to be paid.
Do those two wolves really exist? I dunno......seems like it. Maybe it's just a story but it resonates with me. Looking at how increeeeeedibly often I fed that bad wolf, it was no wonder anymore why my life had become such a mess.
We "feed" them with our actions - our behaviors. The interesting thing is that supporting the "bad" wolf is usually pretty easy. It's usually the things I WANT to do..... be angry, hate someone, hold a grudge, not take some action that would be helpful to me or to others because it seems like a hassle or too hard, distance myself from others, be judgmental, etc. Feeding the good wolf can be tough. Forgive when I don't want to. Be kind when I want to be angry. DO constructive things and stop doing destructive things.......even though the destructive things are a lot easier to do. Think about others and less about myself. Don't get drunk again but instead actively engage in a recovery process. Make efforts to be the type of person I wanted to be instead of sitting back and waiting for it to happen on it's own. In essence, it meant doing a lot of things I didn't necessarily "want" to do but knew I needed to do. Simple........but not easy. A price had to be paid.
Do those two wolves really exist? I dunno......seems like it. Maybe it's just a story but it resonates with me. Looking at how increeeeeedibly often I fed that bad wolf, it was no wonder anymore why my life had become such a mess.
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: NC
Posts: 5,141
Which begs to question,
WTH is it easier to be negative than positive?
Being positive has the greater reward 100% of the time but the human race still has not gotten that through their head yet!
Perplexing
WTH is it easier to be negative than positive?
Being positive has the greater reward 100% of the time but the human race still has not gotten that through their head yet!
Perplexing
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,806
I wonder the same thing, fishkiller. You'd think the rewards of being positive would win out over the toxicity of being negative, naturally. I think if humans were left alone, without the influences of modern society, we'd naturally evolve to do good. This is a really interesting train of thought.
YCDT2 - I get what you mean. But you have to realize the angel and the devil only really exist in your own thoughts, and you CAN overcome the devil. Thoughts are just thoughts. It's your actions that matter.
YCDT2 - I get what you mean. But you have to realize the angel and the devil only really exist in your own thoughts, and you CAN overcome the devil. Thoughts are just thoughts. It's your actions that matter.
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Big City
Posts: 3,895
I think of what each of those two sides of me provide for me and make out of my life.
One divides me against my self and brings ruin, anxiety, fear, suffering, shame, loss, poverty, ugliness and brutality to my life.
The other makes me whole and brings peace, success, confidence, pride, gain, security, calm, joy, beauty and bounty to my life.
The poison confuses things - but it's a pretty obvious choice.
One divides me against my self and brings ruin, anxiety, fear, suffering, shame, loss, poverty, ugliness and brutality to my life.
The other makes me whole and brings peace, success, confidence, pride, gain, security, calm, joy, beauty and bounty to my life.
The poison confuses things - but it's a pretty obvious choice.
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