No—I am not out of my mind.
But, I do want to get out of my mind.
I heard someone say in a meeting, “My mind is like a dangerous neighborhood. I don’t want to go there alone.” That’s why we have meetings.
Stopping drinking and drugging is one thing, but how do we stop our addictive thinking that leads us down the path back to using? The quickest way out of my own mind is to be of service to someone else! Service gets me out of my mind of selfish thinking and into what I can do to help the next person in need.
Also, I go to a meeting and tell on myself. When I say the truth out loud, however crazy it sounds, it takes the power out of it. It always seems so much bigger in my head than it does out here in the world. Others get to identify and I feel like I am not alone in this thinking when I speak it out—especially when I see a lot of heads nodding in agreement in the room.
The Big Book defines alcoholism as: “An allergy of the body coupled with an obsession of the mind.” this makes so much sense to me and answers the question for me of physical disease, as it affects the body—When we drink or use, our body gets use to it and becomes addicted to needing more and more to maintain a level of comfort or just to stay even. Being a hereditary disease, as members of our family are alcoholics, we are predisposed to becoming one ourselves. That is not to say we do become addicts/alcoholics, but the predisposition is there. These are not proven facts, which makes addiction a hard disease to treat medically.
The Psychological part of the disease is the obsession of the mind. The dictionary definition of obsession is: “a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling” (the obsession to drink or use)
The way I treat my disease every day:
• Prayer and connecting with God
• Attending meetings
• Talking to my sponsor and others in the program
• Sponsor women by working the steps with them
• Being of service to others.
And, last thought—Be kind to yourself. You are a work in progress!
“Do not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.”
Hebrews 10:25
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