Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Your observations are correct. As a recovering addict, and "recovery" (aa/na) regular, I see parallels all the time with "normal" people. But the meth addict has to see it because the "side effects" of his personality distortions will kill him. With others, they are overweight, or they shop too much, or they stress out on people at work, and they tell themselves they are okay, mostly, and don't face the thought/behavior patterns that are playing out.
Yes, the root problems are the same.
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Hi, aron! Glad you're here! Keep comin' back, it works!!
To everyone else --- everyone who wonders what the heck I am talking about, that is real AA/NA talk, and my way of saying me too, aron. I don't go to meetings anymore, but I did for a long time. It's a great program, and the principals work.
Like Peter said, a lot of the what the 12 steps deal with is the lies. There is a line that says something like we (alcoholics, addicts) cannot afford to lie. Or maybe that line is about holding resentments and anger. It is all pretty deadly to people who really like to run to their addiction of choice. Gotta deal with those things before (like aron said) it kills us.
Another goal of the program is to deal with the wreckage of the past. That's why all the self-examining, sharing with someone you trust and then amends-making. It's all to help you leave the past behind, start new. Not bad, huh?
And the real key to whole thing is what they call your Higher Power. AKA, God. They give people a lot of room to define that for themselves, but it really is key to the success of the program. And a great jumping off point for people to discover Jesus. I mean, you start asking God to help you, you end up with Jesus.
The program is genius in the way it works and clearly a gift from God, in my very very humble opinion.
And, Peter, what you said about we dive into the "meeting life" or find other ways of avoiding the truth, is right on. God is Light, and in Him is no darkness. So when we run from that light of truth, we are
trying to run from God. Doesn't work very well, He just stays next to us. Stop running for just a moment, and bamm, there He is.
When I was in the LC, I used to think (in moments of honesty) that I really really liked the 'getting out of my mind' because I just really liked being out of my mind. In the drugged, sick sort of way..... I used to think about that. I think chanting accomplishes that, regardless of what you are chanting. And we did chant, didn't we?
I hope this isn't too off target, I just wanted to echo what aron and Peter and Jane and everyone
said. (uh oh. Is that just another way to say it is
their fault, not
mine? Oh man, I gotta work the steps on this
)
I'm glad to say I am
finallyprettyokay
