Outside Yourself
 

There's a lot of stuff to think about when we pursue recovery and sobriety.

God, Higher Powers, Behavior Changes, Therapy, Meetings, Step Work, What Will We Say, Triggers, Precautions, Support....

It gets pretty overwhelming and tiring sometimes.

Even just the THINKING about it can become a full time job.....

One thing, though, that I think helps treat that overthinking and overwhelm and - for me - has become one of the strongest and most important pillars of my sobriety and my sense of purpose has been getting "Outside Myself".

Not just in the sense of giving back to others by seeking to be a support to those who still suffer - but simply in service. Whether helping out a friend with a chore, volunteering at an event, donating some money to a cause or building an exciting new program for a community..... connecting myself into some greater purpose has been and continues to be a critical tool - and also a source of great personal reward and meaning.

I'm not sure we give enough credit to the power of service in restoring our lives to sanity and escaping the cycles of addiction.

Have a great day, everyone - stay sober and get OUTSIDE (yourself).

:grouphug:

Wise owl-like words ;)

I too find that having an expansive concept of service is so helpful. Stuff like remembering and using the names of the ladies at the drive thru I visit most every morning for diet lemonade.

It's like gratitude- somewhere along the way I picked up the habit of stopping myself and naming the very first 5 things that came to mind as gratitude items. It often stops the approaching train wreck, malaise, or just selfish crap impending ;)

Getting (more) out of myself has been the key to freedom in my life. My journey started 20 years ago, unapologetic drunk and apathetic atheist. Yet I was always in awe of people who not only volunteered or were service-minded, but really seemed to enjoy it. The past 10 years that's crept into my life more and more, and 2 years ago started doing regular volunteer work. And I like who I am today more than who I used to be.

It even hit me that some meetings I might avoid because they seem focused on the same couple people who crosstalk when they're not monopolising the floor, might be just the place I need to be to affirm someone else who might leave for the same reason and go back to drinking. I only have 5 days so far this time, but I have a pretty clear head and can interact well with most people, so that's something I can offer.

A couple days ago I felt moved to thank someone after the meeting because of what he shared and that I felt the same way a lot of the time We got into a brief, positive conversation, and he said he enjoyed talking to me as well. I haven't shared in this meeting yet, but I felt like I had really "done" something after that interaction. I felt like I was more connected to the Flow of Life.

Could not agree more. I am extremely guilty of NOT doing enough. I volunteer twice a year to feed my starving children, but could do more.

This one reminds me that while I still do practice a lot of service to others.... my past couple years have been noteworthy in the degree to which I did NOT aim that service in the direction of service to Those Who Still Suffer. Recovery work.... service to others of simply being present as a human being in sobriety and a drug-free life (apart from caffeine and my prescribed anti-depressant) is crucial to my own depth of presence and freedom from addiction.

Wow, but we can learn a lot simply be revisiting and listening to our past selves, eh?