Better to face the discomfort than continue to trudge along under a false impression that it’s not dormant inside, oblivious to the ticking of the time bomb that will eventually go off.
Tag: higher power
An Atheist's Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous
Simply put, when we do not understand how something works, we chalk it up to god.
My Higher Power Problem in Overeaters Anonymous
Although I have a strong sense of higher power in my life, I did not understand how admitting one’s powerlessness and putting faith in a higher power would aid in eliminating my compulsive eating.
You Are Not My Father
I had spent my whole life seeking certainty and security and this break exposed the foolhardiness of that quest. Here was the raw slate of rock bottom once again.
Does Everything Actually Happen for a Reason?
“Everything happens for a reason” conflicts with AA principles: it misleads recovering alcoholics into thinking they are special—that they are somehow more worthy of salvation than the addict or alcoholic who perished. “Because genocide.” That was me, in my typically understated fashion, explaining to a newly recovering alcoholic why he shouldn’t heed the single silliest… Continue reading Does Everything Actually Happen for a Reason?
You Can't Keep It Unless You Give It Away
The responsibility to give honestly is my job; the responsibility to take honestly is theirs and not for me to determine. I could go crazy trying to decide which homeless person is worthy and which is not. It’s one of the odd truths about life in New York City that some days a homeless person… Continue reading You Can't Keep It Unless You Give It Away
7 Reasons Why I Thought AA Wasn't for "Someone Like Me"
By the end, as we stood in a circle holding hands, I thought: “This is a cult, right? This has to be a cult.” I remember the first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous that I ever attended, about three years ago. I’ll be honest — I wasn’t the friendliest face at that meeting. I had a… Continue reading 7 Reasons Why I Thought AA Wasn't for "Someone Like Me"
God Hates Pikachu and He Also Killed My Daddy
My higher power doesn’t want me sticking a needle in my arm. For me today, it’s as simple as that. I didn’t want to unpack this story so soon. My aim was to share my experience with getting and staying sober in a dry and witty way, do that for a while with you, maybe… Continue reading God Hates Pikachu and He Also Killed My Daddy
No Vacation from Recovery: A Packing List
Recovery cannot be left to chance but requires planning, even—and maybe especially—on vacation with its temptations: tropical drinks, laissez-faire schedule, swim-up bars, and late nights. For a long time, when my bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and eating disorder were out of control, I believed that the geographic cure, specifically travel, was the antidote to all my… Continue reading No Vacation from Recovery: A Packing List
The Joys of Being Wrong
I am limited when I am in my own power, convinced of its sufficiency. I had initially thought to write this story – the story of a person once self-presumed irreparably broken who recently completed chemotherapy turned Ivy League law student in a sensible, stable long-distance relationship – once I had received official acceptance letters… Continue reading The Joys of Being Wrong