is spot on for someone like me who works in the field of addictions recovery. It talks about self-care and the tendency to forget from whence I came that makes all of us who work with recovering people vulnernable to relapse."Things can get really good in our recovery" it says and sometimes blind us to the pitfalls that can trip us up. It refers to whether or not I am doing the kinds of things I used to do in early recovery, like attending enough meetings, getting a sponsor, and practicing principles in all our affairs. This reading challenges me to think about where I am in recovery and whether I continue to do things that help me live in a healthy way. Sure enough, there are many things that are really good in my world today. My family is emotionally close at hand, and my relationships with close friends is real and constantly being nurtured. My school work for my Ph.D. is going well, and I was recently blessed with finding the three professors for my committee whom I had as first choices - not a small issue when it comes to academic processes. My health is good (I'm finally losing some weight and exercising), and I work in a profession and at a clinic that is the best in the world for treating adolescent addiction. Clearly things are going very well indeed.
But...there are wrinkles as well. I haven't "worked the steps" in quite a while, go to only a few meetings a month, and still can't find a sponsor. I sometimes justify these holes in me life by saying that I am deeply involved in NA work through the Hospitals & Institutions subcommittee I chair and the fact that my work is virutally a full time 12-Step call with recovering people. But, the real question is, is this enough for me and my needs in recovery to stay well? I'm beginning to think it is not enough. I'm not experiencing obesessions about using, and I don't have cravings. I think the relapse warning signs, triggers and high risk situations I could get into are well-managed. Moreover, I practice principles in my life today that can insultate me from these things. Yet, there is the lingering doubt that they alone are not enough.
My program teaches that only by maintaining a spiritual connection with my Higher Power can I stay clean. I think that today's reading is a wakeup call for me to do spiritual things to nurture my soul and help focus on the requirements for my recovery, namely, to get a sponsor, plan for more meetings in my week and work the steps through reading and writing about them. If I do those things, then I know I have nothing to fear, and my life will continue to grow and prosper.
All the best, Roger W.
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