Weekly AA Thread - 2/15 - 2/21

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - 2/15 - 2/21

Hi all! HG, wonderful to see you here! I think its terrific that you are learning to overcome some of your fears such as communication / speaking in front of people. I too am amazed at how many terrific life skills can be gained from AA participation. For me when speaking, I'm not so much afraid to talk as much as working on my self centered fear of what people think of me. That's a biggy for me and to the degree I can let it go, I'm all the happier for it.

I'm still stuck at home sick not wanting to inflict this grunge on the world. So I am very grateful we have this thread! I also call my sponsor every morning and that is helping me feel at least a little bit connected. I will probably try to call some other AA friends today just to say hi and again, stay connected and grounded in my sobriety. Maybe this "housebound" situation is happening for good reason to help me appreciate the new life I have found outside this house along with new friends and a way to live that is light years better than sitting home drinking every day. I sure am grateful to be sober!

I really like the Walk in Dry Places Reading for today:

Walk In Dry Places

Staying on course___Power in purpose
When riding in an airplane on automatic pilot, I marvel at the way the aircraft stays on course even while bouncing and shaking through pockets of turbulence. Even more significant is the pilot's calm indifference to these minor movements as he checks occasionally to make sure the plane continues on the right course.
Many things that happen to us each day are no more important than the routine turbulence and aircraft encounters. But as sick, compulsive people, we sometimes view every disturbance as a terrible storm and become panicky or enraged over things that are of little consequence in the long run. "I could accept a major calamity, but a broken fingernail ruined my day," one speaker said at an AA meeting.
We can set our lives on "automatic pilot" by choosing continuing recovery as our major goal and letting all things fall in line with that. The turbulence of ordinary living cannot deflect us from our true course if we calmly accept it as natural, unavoidable, and non-threatening. Even if a real storm blows up and gives us anxious moments, we can stay on the recovery course we have chosen.
Disappointments and annoyances are part of the human condition. I will be cheerful and optimistic today even if I am bounced around a bit. There is within me an automatic pilot, through which my Higher Power leads me to continued recovery and true fulfillment as a person.

I can REALLY relate to getting overly upset over the least little disturbance in my day. Heck, there was a time when I would get really upset about posts here at MWO that I disagreed with!!!! First off, this is an open forum where people are free to express their opinions. I won't share everyone else's opinion, nor will they share mine. Second, this is the internet where we are largely anonymous!!

In "3D" life I used to let every little thing upset me. If Mr. Doggy was grumpy in the morning, I always used to take that personally, and then "my day would be RUINED!." Maybe he just had a headache, or had something on his mind, or whatever. It's not always about me.

Anyway...the list is LOOOONNNGGGG of the ways I can let inconsequential disturbances affect me if I'm not paying attention. Today I will try to pay attention! Especially since when I'm sick I want to be a cry baby. No point to that.

Thanks for *listening!* You are a large part of my *meeting* today!

DG

[dancelot]

Weekly AA Thread - 2/15 - 2/21

Hi, everyone -

DG - The reading you quoted could have been written about me! The more I see of this, and how similar alcoholics are, I always wonder. Are you we alcoholics because of how we perceive and react to the world, or do all people share this, and just react differently? Or does being alcoholics make us this way?

Maybe some of both - I know especially when drinking I was way more hair trigger reaction wise, usually over little things. I do have ADHD, which can make me overly sensitive to too much outside stimulus, though I did notice it is more manageable without a daily hangover! It's still there, but I can get by with the coping skills I used before (minus alcohol, that is! I think that was a big one, in my case - to quiet down my overactive mind at the end of the day).

I went to a meeting last night that is still reading from the BB chapter "To Wives", so we all keep getting to go back over our relationship difficulties. They were on the same topic 2 weeks ago at this meeting. There's a lot to cover in most of our cases. I personally always laugh at the "Jeckyll and Hyde" reference - that was my ex's nickname for me! As in, "Which one are you today?" Sadly, I now can see it was true, not someone just getting on my case. You can bet that set me off for the day! I'm glad to say it's gotten a lot better. It's amazing we will grip so tightly to such a hard way of living - not knowing that if we let go it can be so much better.

Oops, I just realized we should have started a new thread for this week, but since I don't know how to move what I wrote, I'll keep it here! Have a great day, everyone! :h