The Honesty of Recovering People
Living gratefully today, I realize the tremendous wisdom and grace that is shared with me by others in recovery from alcoholism.
After several days immersed in the impact of cancer, it was important for me to sit with some of my friends in recovery and be reminded of the priority it needs to be in my life. Daily work for a daily disease.
Cancer and alcoholism have left their mark on me and many others. Yet, I don't consider myself a victim of either. They are two of the cards I was dealt, and are inexorably woven into the fabric of my life's experience. I didn't ask for or welcome either, but accepting them as part of my reality has been and continues to be necessary.
One of my friends mentioned being a "recovering perfectionist." Most alcoholics and addicts I know struggle with perfectionism in one form or another. In our active drinking, it always provided excuses and self-loathing that we sought to soothe with alcohol. In recovery, it can have us spinning our wheels, and our brains, and getting stuck in negative thought patterns.
I appreciate the honesty and hope shared among my friends the last couple of days, after returning from an emotionally heavy trip. Recovering alcoholics understand recovering alcoholics better than anyone else can when it comes to the cunning nature of our disease.
We help one another get unstuck. We remind one another that we are not alone, like the "God with skin on" I wrote about recently. We bring trust and honesty to our interactions, and it makes all the difference.
After several days immersed in the impact of cancer, it was important for me to sit with some of my friends in recovery and be reminded of the priority it needs to be in my life. Daily work for a daily disease.
Cancer and alcoholism have left their mark on me and many others. Yet, I don't consider myself a victim of either. They are two of the cards I was dealt, and are inexorably woven into the fabric of my life's experience. I didn't ask for or welcome either, but accepting them as part of my reality has been and continues to be necessary.
One of my friends mentioned being a "recovering perfectionist." Most alcoholics and addicts I know struggle with perfectionism in one form or another. In our active drinking, it always provided excuses and self-loathing that we sought to soothe with alcohol. In recovery, it can have us spinning our wheels, and our brains, and getting stuck in negative thought patterns.
I appreciate the honesty and hope shared among my friends the last couple of days, after returning from an emotionally heavy trip. Recovering alcoholics understand recovering alcoholics better than anyone else can when it comes to the cunning nature of our disease.
We help one another get unstuck. We remind one another that we are not alone, like the "God with skin on" I wrote about recently. We bring trust and honesty to our interactions, and it makes all the difference.
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