In honor of the fast-waning month of January, I wanted to address Step 1 and the paradox of embracing powerlessness as a way to manifest a much greater destiny.
I am powerless over [fill in the blank]
The mystery of the vanishing pink cloud
In early recovery, I heard tell of a mystical pink cloud, appearing randomly around starry-eyed newcomers. According to my sources, it shows up like puppy love, and envelopes the newly hopeful in a protective layer of "holy shit, life doesn't actually have to suck!" I didn't think it could happen to me. And then it did.
Prayer, in short
I was not raised within the framework of a religion, apart from the Hallmark version of the Christian holidays. So, when it came time for me to find a higher power of my own understanding and learn to pray, I struggled a bit. In meetings, I have always been impressed by those who could recite... Continue Reading →
When Life shows up or whatever
Of all the slogans we hear in the rooms, I have struggled the most with the "life" themed expressions. For example: Accepting life on life's terms... When life gets lifey... When life shows up... After some time under my belt, I figured out they are mostly talking about expectations and acceptance. But I have to... Continue Reading →
I will never graduate from recovery
Last week I heard a podcast hosted by a popular doctor who has a respectable knowledge of 12 Step programs. She had a caller who said she'd been attending meetings but didn't really believe she would always be an alcoholic. The host heartily agreed, citing the disappearance of her own sugar addiction--and referencing some new, radical recovery approaches that "cured" heroine addiction with a 65% success rate. I was shocked.