Acceptance was such a hard thing for me. A really good loving friend in AA helped me with "accepting the things I cannot change". I worked the Steps and that really helped, but I would still go on and on about this thing or that thing, this person or that person, enjoying the dramas of my life and thinking I was the "victim". (I even used this board to do that earlier in my sobriety and got all worked up over other peoples' opinions which were not the same as my own and posted my dissatisfaction. Sorry guys :(
This friend helped me realize that I was spending way too much time trying to change people and situations and not enough time working on changing myself. He made me realize the importance of turning my worries over to my H.P. and letting go of things. His patience with me has been remarkable! Talk about tolerance! It took me a good while to figure out that had I accepted the darn things which I had no control over in the first place, I would have saved myself alot of misery. It was hard for me for a good while to connect with many folks in the rooms. My hyper-sensitivity was too great. I have attended meetings regularly and am grateful for them. However, had it not been for this man, I am not sure that I would still be sober. There have been a few times over the last couple of years I almost gave it all up and I let him know that. The last time I thought about it and shared this with him, boy, did he let me have it! At first, I felt like I had been kicked in the butt although we are miles and miles apart from one another. He told me that if I wanted to drink it was up to me. He also let me know that I would lose everything! Including the relationships which, I had managed to mend (with God's and AA's help) and any hopes of mending one in particular I haven't been able to mend (yet). That was a huge wake up call for me. Since then, I haven't had nearly as much trouble accepting things. He scared the crap outta me and he literally saved my life!
"Thank you, Pappy, love ya, man".
-- Edited by hopefulone on Wednesday 3rd of June 2015 05:41:01 AM
Sorry I didn't reply earlier ... had my hands full so to speak ...
You just described the whole foundation AA is built on, one alcoholic helping another ... those of us that get the most out of AA, put what we have on the table for those in need, to take, ... and we do that without expecting anything in return ... (but what we get in return is a friendship and love that will last a lifetime ...)
God Bless, Pappy
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
When we first get sober, we go through a roller coaster of emotions that take us for a wild ride. I think that's just part of the course. Keep hanging on, you sound like you're getting better already. One day at a time! Best wishes!
