Supercrew

Nothing magical about the power of positive thinking and self fulfilling prophesies. I believe in the power of the brain and I believe what the mind can conceive and believe I can acheive. Nothing magical there, but normally positive action is needed to have a positive outcome.

This is why I have really enjoyed recovery because it has been like taking a class in self improvement and brain power, and I get to learn more about myself daily. The science behind the brain and why we do what we do is fascinating, I am only sorry that alcoholism was necessary for me to start this discovery process.

Kjell

One of my favorite parts of recovery too.

Kjell~

fulminouscherub

Expectations always seem to be the seeds of future resentments. I don't know how all of you are, but I'm the kind of person who cultures expectations and their resentments without even realizing it.

My first year of sobriety was good. I got a sponsor, took the steps, went to meetings, and talked to a lot of alcoholics. My second year was one of the best ever. Met her. Revived some of the things in my life that had been drowned by years of alcohol. Hiking. Camping. Doing stuff.

I figured it was the program working and my life getting better one day at a time.

Then she decided she'd had enough of me. And life got really difficult again. I realize my wreckage took years to accumulate and will take years to clear away. I also realize that sobriety doesn't make me a good catch in itself, but is merely an essential part of laying a foundation.

I'm grateful for my wonderful year. And for this difficult year. I'm grateful for my pain because it motivates me to work on changing things.

I expect the overall quality of my problems will continue to improve with the accumulation of sober time. But I try to remember that sobriety is not a shortcut to happiness and that all things, good and bad, are ephemeral.

yeahgr8

Life in sobriety is dead easy compared to what it was like before, and i have had some "trying" times in sobriety(well not really trying for me, but you get the point):-)

On the other hand, life whilst abstaining from alcohol sucked and was, at times, worse than when i was drinking...

recoverywfaith

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.

Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

Boleo

An old Chinese parable tells of a poor man who lives with his teenage son. Their one possession is a horse, and they need the horse to ride to market, to pull their cart, to do the plowing-and the horse runs away. So everyone says,

"Oh, what bad luck!"

And the man says, "We’ll see, we’ll see."

Well, the horse winds up leading a whole pack of wild horses back to their farm. And everyone says, "What good luck!"

He says, "We’ll, we'll see."

Then the son rides one of the horses and tries to tame it, and he falls and shatters his leg. Everyone says, "Oh no! What bad luck."

And the man says, "We'll see, we’ll see."

Before long an officer comes around from the court, conscripting young boys to fight an impossible war. And of course, all the boys in the neighborhood go except for the son, and they're all killed, and all his neighbors say, "Oh what good fortune you have!" And it goes on and on.

No matter what happens, good or bad. The man says, "We'll see, we’ll see."