Morgaine: Please consider this quote from the big Book of AA and ask yourself "could the way I am handling my life be better than God "of YOUR understanding" could manage it?
"Show any longshoreman a Sunday supplement describing a proposal to explore the moon by means of a rocket and he will say, "I bet they do it-maybe not so long either." Is not our age characterized by the ease with which we discard old ideas for new, by the complete readiness with which we throw away the theory or gadget which does not work for something new which does? We had to ask ourselves why we shouldn't apply to our human problems this same readiness to change our point of view. We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn't seem to be of real help to other people-was not a basic solution of these bedevilments more important than whether we should see newsreels of lunar flight?"

God Bless
botbotcoco
www.londonppbbs.com

I am also learning how much i drank away my self-esteem issues. I had low self-esteem before i abused alcohol and now have many things that i have done that has only diminished my self-worth.It is a struggle at this point dealing with all this emotional baggage. You are not alone and I hope someone posts some info. on this subject.Hugs

as we get sober and stay sober the feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem start to diminish. We start seeing accomplishments in our lives we start mending relationships with family friends and employers. as we do this they start accepting us for who we are and what we are trying to accomplish. when i sobered up the only person that was beating me up and making me feel inadeqate was me. evry one around me was saying how proud they were and how good i was doing but i refused to see it because i was dwelling to much on the past. Start working the steps praying and journaling were important for me. Make a gratitude list 5 things you are grateful for and carry it withy u through out the day. when you are feeling down take it out and read it. When you go through your day pick out one person and do something nice for them. no matter how small or large even if it is holding a door open or just complimenting someone on how they look. i have found that when we make others smile on the outside we smile on the inside. when journaling at night write about your day include the nice thing you did for someone and include a prayer for the day. This may all seem trivial but it really helps us reagin that lost feeling of self worth. God Bless

You defined YOU as a wife, a mother, an employee. Those a 'roles' you 'play' Look at the real YOU, you may just see things from a different perspective. Stop worrying what other think and concentrate on YOU. Carol.

Well, I am in the same boat. I think as we live in this weird and crazy sober world many issues are going to come up. The ones we have washed away with the drink. But with the magical potion gone...no longer flowing through our viens and our bodies, minds and lives we have no choice but to deal with them...augh! I hate myself and think I suck at everything...yeah...I have to deal with that...I think everyone around me hates me...i have to deal with that too. On the outside my life looks peachy...no one would ever guess...how am I going to get through this? I don't know. I have been talking to myself on a regular basis latly...it goes like this..."I suck"..."no you don't...you're doing great...you made it through another day" and then i feel better...our internal insane self dialogues are scary...but we have the power to change them...change your thoughts change your life. You don't have a charachter defect. How can you change that thought to a possitive? Think about it...i would like to hear your response. You can do it.

Katie. I actually just started reading a book I bought a long time ago called "The Feeling Good Handbook". Its about changing your thought processes to be more positive. I'm hoping in addition to that, therapy, AA, and my new anti-depressant I can get this thing whipped.

From my expirience... The more I engage in esteemable acts,the better I feel about myself. I try to keep it as simple as possible. The less time I have to think about me... The better:)