Daily Reprieve

From Courage to Change of Aug 03:

There was a time in my life when I furiously insisted that alcoholism did not exist in my family. We were normal; everything was fine! Today I know that alcoholism is a family disease that affects not only the drinkers but those around them as well. Denial is a symptom of this family disease.

When I began to recognize the alcoholism in my family, my unfortunate past became the topic of all my conversations. Then an Al-Anon member shared about having learned to look back without staring. She pointed out how easy it can be to lose perspective, to feel trapped, to stop living in the present. Unlocking the secrets of the past can offer many gifts, but the purpose of this search is to recover from the effects of alcoholism and get on with our lives here and now.

Today, with the love, support, and encouragement of Al-Anon members, I am able to face the reality of the past, not to place blame or wallow in self-pity but to learn from it.

Today’s Reminder

There is much to learn from the past, but I cannot allow past hurts to smolder and destroy today. Instead, I can ask my Higher Power to help me use my experiences to move forward and to make healthier, more loving choices than ever before.

“Experience is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you.” ~ Aldous Huxley

END OF QUOTE—————————————

There was a time when I refused to see the truth. I denied the impact of alcoholism in my family, convincing myself that we were like any other family; maybe even a little better than most with our devotion to our religious pursuits. This denial was my shield, my armor against the discomfort of facing the reality that the disease of alcoholism had woven itself into the very fabric of our lives. But denial is its own disease, one that distorts the present and distorts our sense of self, preventing us from fully embracing the truth of who we are.

When the veil of denial began to lift about religious – family mantras, I was forced to confront not just the disease, but its deep-rooted impact on every aspect of my family. It felt as if every conversation I had was consumed by the weight of the past, as if the shadow of alcoholism loomed over everything I said and did. I like the concept of Look back, but don’t stare. This simple yet profound insight reminds me that while the past holds valuable lessons, it is not where I live anymore.

I learned that the past is a teacher, not a prison. There is so much to glean from the experiences we’ve lived through—the pain, the chaos, the confusion—but if I allow those memories to take over, they rob me of today. The purpose of my journey isn’t to dwell in regret or to fixate on blame. It’s to heal, to understand, and to move forward into the life that is here and now.

I see now that experience is not merely the things that happen to me. It is what I do with those things. It is how I allow them to transform me, how I choose to respond with grace, how I choose to move forward and not be trapped by what’s behind me. Today, I no longer need to stare at the past. Today, I am learning to walk into the future with hope and faith, knowing that my past does not define me—it refines me.

This entry was posted on June 14, 2025 at 5:59 am and is filed under Uncategorized with tags Addiction, Alcoholism, Courage to Change, Journal, Life, mental-health, Personal, Recovery, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.