Sorry. I didn't realize that a new topic had to be completely unique.

-- Edited by RubyTues on Friday 7th of December 2012 04:40:28 PM

Welcome to MIP RubyTues!

Yes our reasons for working Step 1  will vary from person to person,whether we are new to recovery and just fought and lost the battle or we may have been abstinent for awhile but see the illness active in other parts of our lives WE are faced with the with the knowledge of powerlessness and unmanageability in our lives.Wherever we are in the journey its time for the work.Our first Step begins with abstinence,whatever it takes,the healing can then begin.For me,My anger didnt come till later,I just wanted relief from the pain and misery of my addicted life.It was later that I would get angry cause I couldnt be like others(I wasnt),I could not ever use alcohol or any mind altering substances without bringing me back to that cycle of jails ,institutions,deriliction or death,based on the evidence of 25 years on the tiles ,,that was a given and that made me mad,but through application of the spiritual principles of our program ,applied in all areas of my life,the anger was replaced with the hope shot and the freedom that I was finding from abstinence and  daily work..Our illness always tells us we are not sick its okay to use just a little.LIES and a proven fact that it is our disease that makes who we are, its not what we use but how it affects us that makes us different.WE stay away from that "first one".Admitting we are powerless is a sense of relief to some of us and others recoil from the word as a sign of weakness or character deficiency.Understanding what it means to be Powerless is essential to our recovery.A simple thought pattern on this is when the driving force in our lives are beyond our control we are powerless(we drink and use when we dont want to,we try all different ways to stop,yet can't STAY stopped etc)The unmanageability shows up in 2 forms external(jails,arrests ,dui/dwi/physical etc outward signs can be seen by others and the internal or personal basically unhealthy or untrue belief systems about ourselves,the world we live in or people in our lives.EMOTIONAL VOLATILITY is a good description .We are careful to be aware of reservations in our program(reasons to use if things dont go our way or the emotions we go thru)When we accept we are powerless and unmanageable we become aware recovery is our solution.Spiritually we focus on honesty,open mindedness,willingness(the how) and acceptance of who and what we are.With the acceptance we can feel that change and the hope that we can move forward a day at a time.We view our recovery as a precious gift.We may not be in control of what happens to us but we can be in control of how we react. There was quite a period where I was angry because I couldnt party with the band,I couldnt drink or use to "be relaxed" I couldnt frequent places I used to ,and thoughts of how will I ever spend rest of my life like this?? But only until I wound the tape all the way to the end and knew the LIFE in freedom and hope outweighed any other thoughts.The pain truly outweighed any pleasure FOR ME......Thanks for help today reminding me to stay focused on doing the things ,guided by the God of my understanding that keep me away from the first one.Yes I do get angry and crazy but I dont pick up and I recover quickly as long as I do the work...Keep coming back,Just For Today you dont have use alcohol and it definitely will get better WE have a message of hope and a promise of freedom,keep sharing and coming back okay  WE need you.....Peace.

I would highly doubt that Ruby. I was angry a lot in early sobriety. I used the Serenity prayer a lot and read Acceptance on page 449 3rd edition or 417 4th edition. The whole story of that chapter is pretty good. You'll make it through and when you do things will be so much brighter. Hang in there and keep comin back! You can also pm me or email me if you just need to talk.

Thanks, sorry for the misunderstanding. ANGER RAGE fest! Ha.

I felt a lot of different emotions early in recovery, anger being one of them. I think part of it was just having all the extra energy, as my body didn't have to recover from drinking any longer.

Not quite sure where anger would come into play on the 1st step...either you have power over alcohol or you don't. If we had the power, most of probably wouldn't be here.

If I still was interested in going out and fighting the 800 lb Gorilla (alcohol), and knew I was going to lose, I guess I would be angry.

Come to think of it, I was a little angry about being a alcoholic. Why Me? They told me why not me. Don't put a question mark where God put a period. I drank too much, too long too often.

Accepting the first step with God's help was probably the best decision I ever made, it allowed me to begin the road to recovery. Ahh yes, the truth will set you free.

Ruby, I was a sad, depressed and victim-mentality drunk. Upon sobering up, I have passed through phases of starting to stick up for myself when people treat me like crap. Instead of beating myself up when irked by others, I get angry. My challenge is to deal with negative social interchanges without being angry. It's also to recognize my part in any conflict I have.

Right now you have just a limited time sober. You are not supposed to be feeling super great. Feeling angry is normal. What you do with it is the challenge. Most of all, I just try and not hurt others and if I do, I apologize. I think almost all folks in AA try and live by these principles, though I've met some that do not sadly.

excellent post Mark! Ruby, I avoided those that I regularly bumped heads with, in my first year. This was mostly family and a several "friends". It took awhile for me to own my feelings, then to set boundaries for myself to not let others push my buttons. I decided that my integriety and how I treat others would not change based on others behavior. If someone took a verbal shot at me, I will/would just say something like "Nice" smile and walk away. This registered no effect for them and I didn't let it get to me, knowing that they were just trying to pass some of their shame to me, in an effort to make themselves feel better. Knowing that It had nothing to do with me, as they would've gone after someone else if I wasn't there. This process de-personalizes their remark, just like looking behind you, as they make it, to see if they were talking to someone else. I do that also, look behind me, look back, laugh, and say "I guess the person you were talking to left" lol Have fun it, and remember "It's better to give a resentment, then to get one"