Bled of Self-Sufficiency
Today let’s look at pg. 21 of the 12 x 12:
“Alcohol…bleeds us of all self-sufficiency and all will to resist its demands.”
Until we figure out that alcohol takes so much more away from us than it actually gives us, we cannot see that it has indeed bled us dry and left us empty of all things of worth. To see we are powerless over alcohol, or anything else for that matter, we have to get that clear picture of what our life really was like; not, the version we see through our beer goggles!
We were so positive alcohol gave us courage, confidence, fun, and friends. When we step back and take an honest look at things we will see that for one, alcohol courage and confidence are not courage or confidence by any means. They are lies…lies told us by the alcohol which only seeks to bleed us of anything worthwhile. Fun? Would you want your “fun” posted on the internet or shown to your mother? Not me! Friends? Those fellow drinkers are only friends as long as we drink. That’s just not a friend.
I know when I came in the doors the 2nd time in 2005 I was definitely bled of self-sufficiency. The bottle was my crutch so I wouldn’t have to stand on my own two feet or deal with life as it was. Bit by bit my tank has been re-filled with the things that count eternally: joy, peace, love, compassion, honesty, friendship, kindness, and a healthy respect for where I’ve been and how far I’ve come.
What has your experience been?