embracing the reminders
I know I've come a long way since I'm really hearing and "getting" what is being said in Al Anon and in our support groups. It takes time and it's a process but it's interesting that it takes so long for us to start to really "hear" the messages and then putting them into practice. Today I ran into a woman who just started attending Al Anon and asked her if she was planning on going back. She said yes - when her schedule allows but ~ she said she thinks she's "got it" now and has learned all that she needs to. "After all - I went 7 times!". I told her that she's a fast learner. Too funny.....
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i have been commenting to myself how glacially slow recovery is in AlAnon. And even how folks can get away with not really changing for years; I think they get the support and leave the rest. But after all \"take what you can use and leave the rest\" is fair.
But I feel that recovery for myself has been awfully slow. If recovering in AA were this slow, nobody would get sobriety and stay there. I think sometimes some codependency can creep in and it is easy for us Al-Anons to think we\'re more comfortable if our alcoholic is not causing trouble. Versus thinking we are more comfortable because we did what we could to carve some serenity into our lives.
This is just a general observation. Some folks ARE in acute distress in AlAnon, to the point of suicide, and do grab onto the program, of course. Others think they can \'get it\' in a few sessions. For me, I thought there was a lot to \'get\', and it was hard to pick one thing and work on that. on the whole, I think recovery in AlAnon has been harder than in AA. I give credit to anyone who can stick with it long enough to actually gain some serenity for themselves. Not an easy road. Kudos if you are feeling some benefits.