From Courage to Change of Nov 25:
When I came to Al-Anon, I knew that a close relative drank too much, and I knew I wasn’t happy, but I didn’t think I needed much help. I went to a meeting every week unless there was something else to do and I didn’t get a Sponsor. I grew, but slowly.
A crisis brought my leisurely approach to recovery to an end. When I lost someone very special to me, the pain was almost more than I could stand. I was lucky; I had learned enough to pick up the phone and call someone in Al-Anon. That person helped me to make it through the crisis, but that was only the beginning. I saw how badly I needed the strength and skills that Al-Anon had to offer. I began going to quite a few meetings each week, doing service work, calling Al-Anon friends. My recovery really took off! Today, practicing the program gets top priority in my life, because I know where I would have wound up without that crisis.
Today’s Reminder
Sometimes the greatest growth comes through pain, but it’s not the pain that helps me grow, it’s my response to it. Will I suffer through the experience and continue as before or let the pain inspire changes that help me grow? The choice is mine.
“I had learned in Al-Anon to look for opportunities for growth in every situation. This attitude allowed me to gain many spiritual riches from the pain I was experiencing.” ~ In All Our Affairs
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“You look so much like him.” My mother would often comment about the similarity in my appearance to that of her Father. She would talk about his intelligence and persuasiveness. I could tell that her heart still ached for him. She just about lost her mind when he died from alcohol related complications. She was 17 years old at the time. She came from a time and a culture where family matters were not discussed with outsiders and seeking counseling was still stigmatized.
She had six children and would use us for her therapy. “You are my spiritual advisor.” A heavy embrace to wrap around a teenage son. Alcoholism found me like a whispered destiny. And it touched my own children. I am a double winner. I qualify for AA and Al-Anon. Once I found sobriety, I turned to Al-Anon to confront and break out of the co-dependent armor I lived in. And I sought to break the rippling waves of pain in my family that came from that banshee of damning family mantras.
I am grateful for the multiple manifestations of the 12 Steps.
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