October 27: Quality Over Quantity

Topic for the week:

From “As Bill Sees It” –
"It is not always the quantity of good things that you do, it is also
the quality that counts." - Letter 1958
Happy Sunday, women of GROW! My name is Sara; I’m gratefully in recovery from alcohol and Xanax. I read this passage from “As Bill Sees It” and it struck me with how much I could relate to it. When I began my recovery 834 days ago, I was completely overwhelmed by how hard I thought staying sober was going to be. So, I threw myself into every activity that I possibly could to keep busy. It was only when a dear friend of mine – who is much further along in her recovery than I am – told me “No is a complete sentence” that I realized how hard I was pushing myself.
Yes, I wasn’t using drugs or alcohol, but I wasn’t truly recovering. I wasn’t dealing with what had caused me to use; I was doing good – but FAR too much of it. I was exhausted, sad, and even had to call her AND my sponsor when I was contemplating going into a ABC liquor store rather than picking up a prescription. That night, I slept (sober) for 13 hours and got back into actively recovering.
Today, I still do as many good, productive things as I can; I simply make myself take a break and ask myself am I doing too much! Recovery does not happen overnight; I have learned the hard way that I can give myself an ounce or two of grace. Quality over quantity.
Thanks for letting me share. Namaste