The 'badass' approach...
Redmayne
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
The 'badass' approach...
Someone, who for the time being shall remain anonymous, and to whom I shall be eternally grateful. Recently suggested to me that in both, as someone who suffers from the disease/illness of alcoholism that in dealing with my alcoholic drinking, my having currently enjoyed a prolonged period of over 6 years sobriety. A day at a time,remember! Together with other traumatic events wll away from that subject, that caused me to lose everything most normal people would consider play a large part in their existence, not once, but twice.
I must have, unwittingly by me adopted what on reflection I now refer to as the 'badass' approach?
A term not much used in the UK, in my ignorance I had to turn to the dictionary to tell me, used as an adjective, that 'badass' describes someone with ' a tough, uncompromising OR intimidating demeanour'.
Which immediately made me think of the first 100 or so people who got sober
Referred to in the Forward of the book, 'Alcoholics Anonymous' in both he 1st and 4th Eds. Which then lead me on to the first line of Chapter 5 of the same book, 'How It Works' which says,' Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.' Keeping in mind the words,'tough, uncompromising demeanour' I realised for myself, and presumably many others it was not, despite over the years repeated attempts doing that and just about everything else referred to in countless failed attempts to at least get into a modest state of recovery.
That I, without let or hinderance from others, however well meant their intervention began to make progress towards both recovery and sobriety.
Accepting at the same time, almost without any effort on my part other than having been made spiritually, mentally and physically bankrupt, 'under the lash of John Barleycorn', to such an extent that bereft of all hope and on my knees. I completed the first, three of the 12 suggested Steps as I suppose some would consider a 'badass' way of fighting back at Messrs. Barleycorn & Co.
I had no one else and nowhere else, like millions of others, to go!
All in all, in sobriety,I'm quite glad I adopted the 'badass ' approach as I'm sure, without even thinking about it are many others...
I must have, unwittingly by me adopted what on reflection I now refer to as the 'badass' approach?
A term not much used in the UK, in my ignorance I had to turn to the dictionary to tell me, used as an adjective, that 'badass' describes someone with ' a tough, uncompromising OR intimidating demeanour'.
Which immediately made me think of the first 100 or so people who got sober
Referred to in the Forward of the book, 'Alcoholics Anonymous' in both he 1st and 4th Eds. Which then lead me on to the first line of Chapter 5 of the same book, 'How It Works' which says,' Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.' Keeping in mind the words,'tough, uncompromising demeanour' I realised for myself, and presumably many others it was not, despite over the years repeated attempts doing that and just about everything else referred to in countless failed attempts to at least get into a modest state of recovery.
That I, without let or hinderance from others, however well meant their intervention began to make progress towards both recovery and sobriety.
Accepting at the same time, almost without any effort on my part other than having been made spiritually, mentally and physically bankrupt, 'under the lash of John Barleycorn', to such an extent that bereft of all hope and on my knees. I completed the first, three of the 12 suggested Steps as I suppose some would consider a 'badass' way of fighting back at Messrs. Barleycorn & Co.
I had no one else and nowhere else, like millions of others, to go!
All in all, in sobriety,I'm quite glad I adopted the 'badass ' approach as I'm sure, without even thinking about it are many others...
Laozi Old Man
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 6,665
Accepting at the same time, almost without any effort on my part other than having been made spiritually, mentally and physically bankrupt, 'under the lash of John Barleycorn', to such an extent that bereft of all hope and on my knees. I completed the first, three of the 12 suggested Steps as I suppose some would consider a 'badass' way of fighting back at Messrs. Barleycorn & Co.
Redmayne
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
Takes one to know one...
Thanks for your thread, that was, albeit perhaps indirectly the point I was making. On the basis that ,'it takes one 'badass' to know one.... I'd suggest that whereas I'm only to happy to be described in the first part of the dictionary definition, ' a tough,uncompromising OR intimidating' person. John Barleycorn (alcohol) fits the second part 'OR intimidating'...
I'm sure we'd all agree on that...
I'm sure we'd all agree on that...
Redmayne
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
A person with a sense of humour...
Wow! A person with a ready wit and a mischievous, sense of humour, standing by, not only ready to clip this 'badass's' wings but to do it with a smile on her face! Awesome,thanks ...
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,889
I love the colloquial saying BADASS!!!
It was to wimp out and summit to a slow degeneration of body and mind as I was a slave to alcoholic life. Ha life as a drunk. WoW that was me, submitting to filth, disgust, rot as a daily way of life.
Then one day I MANED-UP, put behind me, all approach's, methods, books, people, places. things. abstract concepts, philosophy, truths, divine wisdom, hear say, tall tails, facts, wisdom, mythology, folklore and whatever falls in the "NON-Belief" rubbish bin of my life.
I just let it go. The whole lot of it, good, badass, something or the other. My task is simple: don't drink, don't be bothered by not drinking.
The stars the moon, the perplexity of human life, God, Anti-Jeebuss, Thor, Bozo the clown...all the mysteries these HP's entails. NOT MY CONCERN!
I have pressing business to attend to, at the most basic lesson of life, when to let-go with action is good daily work.
As such, let-go and be well.
I will endeavor to do the same.
It was to wimp out and summit to a slow degeneration of body and mind as I was a slave to alcoholic life. Ha life as a drunk. WoW that was me, submitting to filth, disgust, rot as a daily way of life.
Then one day I MANED-UP, put behind me, all approach's, methods, books, people, places. things. abstract concepts, philosophy, truths, divine wisdom, hear say, tall tails, facts, wisdom, mythology, folklore and whatever falls in the "NON-Belief" rubbish bin of my life.
I just let it go. The whole lot of it, good, badass, something or the other. My task is simple: don't drink, don't be bothered by not drinking.
The stars the moon, the perplexity of human life, God, Anti-Jeebuss, Thor, Bozo the clown...all the mysteries these HP's entails. NOT MY CONCERN!
I have pressing business to attend to, at the most basic lesson of life, when to let-go with action is good daily work.
As such, let-go and be well.
I will endeavor to do the same.
Redmayne
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
Letting go ...
The idea of 'manning up' and letting go of everything, well founded in Buddhist philosophy/psychology, remembering as the Dalai Lama said, 'Buddhism is not a religion. It is the science of the mind.' Is no bad thing and goes along way towards recognizing and accepting your true self.
A responsibility, I believe, that befalls all of us ....
A responsibility, I believe, that befalls all of us ....
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