Negativity to an alcoholic is as destructive as the alcohol itself.
 

TWO WEEKS SOBER TODAY!

Just thought I would share an excerpt here that is deeply resonating with me on Day 14.

The below excerpt is from a program I am working called Women For Sobriety:


"We are exactly what we think we are. Our biggest battle is to feel capable. At all times we must recognize that the basic reason we drank was that we didn't face up to situations in life, or we didn't care about facing up to situations in our lives. We abdicated, we eluded, we tried to escape. And at the basis of this entire structure were our feelings of inferiority and inability, our feelings of not being capable translated into feelings of 'I don't give a damn.'"

"NOW is the time to grab a hold of your life, and this can be made possible by grabbing hold of your thoughts. TAKE CHARGE, and know that this is THE WAY to overcoming alcoholism and all the personal problems that have been haunting you. We cannot produce a positive person out of negative thoughts. We learned earlier that negative thoughts destroy only ourselves - and the negative thoughts we have about ourselves DESTROY ONLY OUR WHOLE LIVES.
Negativity to an alcoholic is as destructive as the alcohol itself."

Good, Herc. I agree- to feel crap about one's self taints everything. An angry behaviour can cause others to get angry. Then- if we are not aware of how we feel about ourselves- too easy then to blame the other person. Everything revolved from the core self. Good post. Thanks.

This absolutely describes my experience. Negative "I don't give a damn" thinking ran my life for 35 years and nearly destroyed it.

We can and must learn to think differently.

:thanks

Yup... Me too, Courage <3

Indeed: "At all times we must recognize that the basic reason we drank was that we didn't face up to situations in life, or we didn't care about facing up to situations in our lives. We abdicated, we eluded, we tried to escape. And at the basis of this entire structure were our feelings of inferiority and inability, our feelings of not being capable translated into feelings of 'I don't give a damn.'"

Describes what I was doing to a T, too.

BUT NO LONGER <3

Love. :grouphug:

Beating the H377 out of myself made my AV's work easier than it should have been.

I totally agree but would like to add that it is negativity towards others that can get to me even more. I think of it as resentment. I can't control how they act or the things that they do but it can really bug me too the point of dwelling on it. that's not good for my sobriety but sometimes it's just hard to get it out of my head. I have been working on that. live and let live as they say.

Am I addicted to feeling frustrated, angry, intolerant, or impatient when people don't do what I want or things don't go my way?:headbange

I am as judgmental as the next person, but this is how I am choosing NOW with intention ... to SEE my life.

As I look at it this way, more and more, it looks like this, more and more.


I am deepening my recognition that perspective is everything. That it is up to us to transform our thoughts. And staying close to the incredible truth that EVERYTHING IS A GIFT, its just that many of those gifts are disguised... and they arent even disguised by God... rather they are disguised by our faulty perception. (Nod to free will, here)

As I am deepening this practice of gratitude, I feel an incredible authentic grace taking over my whole experience.

There is nothing better, truly, than feeding and nurturing your gratitude garden.

Its changes EVERYTHING.
It takes vigilance, but if you get sick and tired enough of your stuckness, or your depression, or your anger... The vigilance comes easier. When youve reached the end of your rope, you WILL find the determination and stamina.... to climb.

Which is why our suffering is a gift... a gift we, in partnership with God, give to ourselves..... sometimes...or often.

Because that suffering pushes us up, inch by inch, tear by tear, boo boo, by boo boo, to God.... when nothing else is working to get us up there to safety.

This is why they say that the only prayer ever necessary is this one: "THANK YOU"

We don't have to thank God for the difficulty... Often we can't thank for that in any authentic way, because quite simply we don't feel thankful for that. But we CAN say THANK YOU for all the good we are ignoring while we are distracted by the bad, or too focused on what doesnt seem to be working.

And in switching your focus, with intention, to the GOOD that you can actually recognize and SEE in your life, a domino effect begins... And eventually all the bad dominos "fall" into GOODNESS, too.

The bad are transformed, right before your very eyes, into GOODNESS.

You begin to see those disguised blessings more and more accurately as to what they really are.
Not bad, but GOOD.

Gratitude is proving to me, once again, to be one of, in not THE, best ways to strengthen faith.