Who plans a slip?
No one right? Well, the bottle doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, does it? – and no one ties us down and forces a drink down our throats, do they?
I heard an AA say, of their slip after nineteen years of sobriety: We take the drink long before we lift the glass, I got to thinking of wisdom others have shared with me.
IMHO, when we begin to take our program of recovery from alcohol for granted, we are stepping onto a dodgy path to nowhere worth going.
This includes some silly choices, like:
- Ignoring the things for which we are truly grateful – things that only surrender and sobriety enabled. When was the last time you looked at your gratitude list?
- Neglecting time with God, prayer, and meditation.
- Assuming we are past the point of wanting to take a drink.
- Not thinking the drink through.
- Indulging the thoughts like if only _________________; or, I’ll be happy when _______.
- Skipping meetings, program service, and helping others.
- Comparing ourselves to others in the rooms.
- Getting hungry, angry, lonely, or tired
- Thinking our circumstances are unusual.
- Thinking we are special cases.
- Declaring that after all this time, we have surely learned to handle a couple of drinks.
- Not asking God, our sponsor or another AA if they want to join us in that drink.
What do you think?
Maybe you haven’t lost your mind, or freedom, or home, or family.
Maybe you think I am being over-the-top, over-reacting, or wrong. But I am sharing what others shared with me. One thing AA’s know is that our disease is progressive and fatal – it is cunning, baffling, and powerful; our choice is insanity, or death, or recovery.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Rigorous self-honesty is essential to recovery and spiritual growth, and avoiding a slip.
