Carlotta

Some of us believe that most defects of character are merely traits that we no longer need. Many of us develop clever methods of surviving in an alcoholic situation, such as denial or secrecy. But once we have the support of the Al-Anon program, we may find that our old methods do more harm than good. What once allowed us to function in a nearly impossible situation is now an obstacle to further growth. An asset has become a deficit. Others define defects of character as assets that have lost proportion. For example, a genuine desire to help a loved one can be exaggerated into a desperate need to fix another person. From this perspective, we aren’t facing the daunting task of rooting out every shred of the defect; we are only turning it over to our Higher Power so that it can be brought into balance or dropped because it is no longer serving our needs.