Redmayne

Accepting that I write this thread, as a person with alcoholism. Which is not a vice, but a two-fold illness comprising of a physical allergy and a mental obsession.

With allowances for and including those who suffer from alcohol addiction, which comprises of a mental obsession.

Recovery from either of which is not easy, bound very much, in my view in recognition and acceptance ... you can't treat either until you identify the symptoms and apply the correct treatment, including taking the actions, to resolve them ...

In both these cases, based on my own and others, I have found, before you even begin to recover. There is no room for self pity, a quality that abounded in me in my drinking days.

Until, in recovery and ever after I realised the truth in that there's no room for self pity, adversity, in anything, is far to much fun for that!

Or to put it another way, it's all about perception, your perception.

Change your perception, change your life and have fun in doing it!

Foolsgold186

Thanks for this today! Changing my perception is what I need to do, the world isn't going to change their perception so time I changed mine.

RDBplus3

Thanks Redmayne

God's mercies are new everyday ... and they are new every time I realize I CAN adjust my focus ... to recognize my 'self-pity' ... to recognize my being critical and judgmental ... to recognize my alcoholic mind / Self-Will-Run-Riot thinking ...

and adjust my focus and perception to be in alignment with my Program of FREEDOM.

Head toward the Light ... Take that next step towards the Sunlight of the Spirit!

RDBplus3 ... Happy, Joyous and FREE

NestWasEmpty

Redmayne Great outlook - To me a nice fresh approach at looking at Sobriety . Thank you for posting ( No room for self pity )

Fly N Buy

He is the victim of what illusion? Is he not a victim of the delusion that he can wrest satisfaction and happiness out of this world if he only manages well?

Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?

Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.

.....for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically

.....At once, we commence to outgrow fear.

When that happens, finally - I am able to grow where planted and recognize that a seed is crushed in order to propagate. My perception changes because I am reborn.(pg. 63) I am no longer who I was and......

Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity.

Of course this is all from Alcoholics Anonymous - How it Works. The journal of our AA brethren real is a life line and a "how to" change ones perception. Forever.

As I study it more I realize how to "practice this principles in all our affairs."


Thanks for the inspiring morning thread and continuing to carry the message!!!

peace brother

Redmayne

As the problem for those suffering from both from alcoholism and those with addiction to alcohol has the common factor of mental obsession, it's clear the problem centers in the mind, wherein lies your perception of it...

As William Knauss, one of the pioneers of cognitive therapy says, 'What happened to you may not be your fault, but thinking about it is your responsibility.' - perception

Marcus Aurelius, one of the novas of Stoic philosophy said,'If you are distressed by anything external the pain is not due to the thing itself (alcohol) but your estimate of it and this you have the power to evoke at any time.' - perception

All neatly summed up in The Serenity Prayer,' God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change ( alcohol) and the courage to change the things (perception) of it.' - perception

With an overview provided by Epictetus, another nova of Stoicism saying,'Man is not disturbed by things but by his view ( perception) of them.' - perception

Doesn't take much then to realise, these guys including the first 100 who contributed to the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous' were on to something and whilst you might argue with anyone of those, including me. It's a bit difficult to argue against all of them...

Fly N Buy

Well said -

You'll get no argument from me regarding this statement; An alcoholic in his cups is an unlovely creature.......

Going deeper into perceptions of the physical world it is interesting to examine how our two dimensional eye sight coupled with our brain views objects in 3D.
We are indeed "tricked" in making assumptions about a thing - perhaps a tree - that is, depth and it not flat.

Perhaps our inflated egos learn from our brain to trick us into perceptions that flow chart to favorable outcomes for us. If that is put in jeopardy, allegedly - maybe that is where the fear kicks in. We will lose something we have or not get something we want.

As far as being an alcoholic and others perceptions, I recall what my first sponsor was told by his mother during a phone call in which he was telling her rehab was imminent.

Mom, I am an alcoholic.
Oh no my son, you could possibly be that.......

peace

Redmayne

Thanks for that, I learned a lot about the delusion, that I could drink like other men, from the book,'Alcoholics Anonymous', like many.

Even more about delusions or illusions generally from Richard Bach's book,'Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah,' and the 'lost' book or 'spin off' from it,'Messiah's Handbook - Reminders for the Advanced Soul,'.

The last entry being,'Everything in this book could be wrong,' which, in truth was and still is never the case when addressing me and my drinking in the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous' or the others I've referred to for that matter... as I'm sure, in the case of the BB, many others...