warrens

Thank you all for your very kind words. It is not too hard to imagine those words being directed toward you, is it?

Many say this journey begins long before the first drink or use, that it begins with wounds to the soul, to the ego, with early trauma. Trauma isn't always physical or sexual abuse. It takes many forms.

We must learn to hold ourselves gently. It takes time to forgive ourselves, and it should. But... This life is a river and we are not the person we were, good or bad. Buddhism asserts that our actions are our only true belongings and that the power of our actions never stops. We create new karma every day. Combine that with the great news of neuroplasticity, that we can change the very structure of our brain at ANY age. I am exhibit A for that.

Look in the mirror and smile. I'm serious. Do it every day, do it for five minutes at a time. You will cause chemical changes in your brain. Start where you ARE. It's the only place we can start, yet our ego, defending our use, says, "No, you can't start until this happens or I have that or he moves or I get that job or..." Stop it, that's all noise.

Little tiny steps forward. A raging river is made up of many tiny drops of water. Treat no one else better than you treat yourself. Hold that wounded child and tell her/him it's gonna be ok. It will be ok.

I often share at meetings that I didn't get sober to stop drinking. Often this raises eyebrows. I continue that I got sober to live the life I saw so many others living. It's certainly not carefree, but it is free of the daily trainwreck, and that is beyond priceless. As a result I've discovered my true nature.

You can too...