Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
From Keep IT Simple Daily Meditations. June 22
The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.
- St Augustine.
We started recovering the minute we admitted we were powerless over our illness. We crossed over from dishonesty to honesty.
Often, we dont see what power honesty has. Maybe we still arent sure that being honest is best for us. It is! This is why the authors of the Big Book ask us to be totally honest from the start. Just as denial is what makes addiction work, honesty is what makes recovery work.
Honesty means self-respect. Honesty heals, Honesty lets us look at people in the eyes. What comfort well feel as we step deeper into our program!
Prayer for the Day.
I pray that Ill let go totally. I pray that Ill keep no secrets that could put my sobriety at risk.
Action for the Day.
Today, Ill read the first three pages of.How It Works in the Big Book.
The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.
- St Augustine.
We started recovering the minute we admitted we were powerless over our illness. We crossed over from dishonesty to honesty.
Often, we dont see what power honesty has. Maybe we still arent sure that being honest is best for us. It is! This is why the authors of the Big Book ask us to be totally honest from the start. Just as denial is what makes addiction work, honesty is what makes recovery work.
Honesty means self-respect. Honesty heals, Honesty lets us look at people in the eyes. What comfort well feel as we step deeper into our program!
Prayer for the Day.
I pray that Ill let go totally. I pray that Ill keep no secrets that could put my sobriety at risk.
Action for the Day.
Today, Ill read the first three pages of.How It Works in the Big Book.
So probably just being a pain in the arse to ask this...but does this mean that lies are OK as long as they don't risk sobriety? And doesnt all dishonesty potentially put at risk sobriety?
I got so caught up in denial and lying that for a long time in my drinking and thankfully only a short time into recovery even I didnt know if I was lying or not.
When people have to ask your wife is he lying you think you would know you had a problem.
For a short time in recovery I found it difficult to admit I was powerless over my disease because all my thinking was back to front. Because I thought when I was drinking I had no problems it was only when I wasnt drinking I had all these problems.Crazy.
I was one sick unit.
But from the time I admitted I powerless over my disease I started to get well. You cant fix a problem if you dont believe you have a problem.
In the first paragraph of How it Works Honesty is mentioned 3 times. So if it is to work honesty must have a lot to do with it. Firstly I had to become honest with myself and only then for me I could be honest with others.
The good thing about being honest is you dont have to have a good memory and I dont.
As far as the Prayer for the Day goes I found youre only as sick as your secrets. And was I carrying a lot of secrets when first in recovery.
But through working the Steps I was even able to get rid of that secret I was never going to tell anyone.
"You know that thing you are never going to tell anyone."
And though I am not as white as snow and probably never will be I have no secrets that will put my sobriety at risk. OH what a feeling.
Enough from me. What is your view on HONESTY.
God Bless.
Lionel
Apparently for some no. I think it's up to that person to decide. I know how I feel about it. You have ask a good question and maybe some others can give there view on it.
God Bless...
Lionel
Honesty is necessary in 2 areas...
1) to others (lies)
2) to self (denial and deception)
1) Not telling lies to others is a no-brainer, imo. Just don't do it.
2) Not deceiving ourselves is a whole nuther ball o' wax, imo...
Overcoming self-deception is, imo, one of the major roadblocks for those, like myself, in early recovery. Sometimes realizing the deception exists does nothing to solve it. Deception is not always deliberate. In fact, self-deception can be a deeply rooted coping mechanism that stems from early childhood. What can we DO to overcome this and learn to think honestly in all our affairs and interactions? This is what I do...
I listen to others.
I do my best to HEAR the good in criticism.
I observe others' reactions to me.
I self examine.
I strive to recognize virtue in others.
I remove emotion from my analysis of situations and people.
I put myself in others' shoes.
I quiet myself to eliminate the compulsion to construct appearances.
I isolate when necessary to eliminate distraction.
I strive to remain AWARE of my motives and fears.
I think this is a great topic. Wonder if anyone who needs to see it will. I can think of at least a handful of people. These are the posts that have made the biggest difference to me in my recovery thus far. Made me relook at things. Until I looked again and again and again, I didn't even see my dishonesty.