Acceptance

There is a fantastic post over at the Trudge Report about being careful about the difference between our needs and wants as they relate to others. When I did my 4th step, I recognized that my needs are not met by other people, but by God. I don’t think it’s overstating that case to say that [...]

We always talk about recovery as being a program of paradox.  I had never really thought about it before today but I think that addiction is paradox, too.  For 23 years after my first introduction to the solution I persevered in my effort to exhaust every possibility I could think of to control and enjoy [...]

First of all, thank God for the steps! I wouldn’t be able to tell this story without them. I wouldn’t because I would be trapped in the story; sucked in to the familiar familial drama of the tree from which this nut fell. Last Friday night I had dinner with my sister and her two [...]

embrace c.1300, from O.Fr. embracer “clasp in the arms, enclose,” from en- “in” + brace “the arms,” from L. bracchium (neut. pl. brachia). Replaced O.E. clyppan, also fæðm. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper Last night, late, I stepped out on my front porch to smoke a cigarette. I still smoke cigarettes. For some reason [...]

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and [...]

One of my great, if not my greatest character traits is intelligence. I’m smart, damn it, and I know it. I was also raised in a family, a community and a culture that all place a high value on intelligence, so I feel valuable. Another trait is perseverance. “Quitters never win,” [...]

Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. - Oliver Wendell Holmes This is first pass writing; the whole blog, not just this post. I rarely take any time to edit. These words fall here as fast as I am able to type. [...]

I don’t care what the book says. If it’s not on the first 164 it’s hearsay. Acceptance is absolutely not the key to all my problems today. Honesty, open-mindedness and willingness play a much bigger role. So do humility, courage and perseverance. All of those played a critical role in [...]

It’s amazing to me, I guess it shouldn’t be at this point in recovery, but it’s amazing to me how quickly I return to my default setting; to return to the way of thinking, if not behavior, that always gets me back to where I came from unless I take purposeful action. Like when [...]

I was asked by a colleague to answer a few questions about coming to that place of willingness, that turning point, to describe the moment I could see myself and my disease clearly. I’ve been concerned about keeping my ego out of the way so that I can offer authentic answers, answers that reflect the [...]