The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Todays reading is a focus on some of the programs slogans. The writer describes coming to Alanon as a reaction to her boyfriends drinking. Like many of us, she thought of alanon as a solution for trouble with another persons drinking. As members began sharing slogans with her, she found some were difficult to apply. The concept behind one day at a time proved more difficult than she thought: staying in the present moment and not meandering to yesterday or tomorrow. Another that she thought would be simple enough was live and let live. She thought of herself as someone who let others live their own lives, then realized the entire reason she came to alanon in the first place was because of interference in her boyfriends life (her attempts to protect him from the consequences of his drinking). What the writer came to learn over time was that the slogans are a help in a happy and serene life regardless of whether the alcoholic is drinking or not.
I remember feeling emotionally overwhelmed when I came to alanon. I couldnt continue to perseverate over every thought and action of my own and my qualifier. The slogans proved helpful to me because they were accessible. A few words which could be repeated as a mantra; they became a comfortable way to reflect when my mind was racing. Like the writer, what happened to me over time is that I no longer applied the concepts and slogans and all that I was learning to the alcoholic(s) in my life, but rather was able to see how they applied to me.
From One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, p.295: I find the slogans a great help in taking a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.
I hope everyone enjoys a peaceful Sunday:)
Mary
From One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, p.295: I find the slogans a great help in taking a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.
I find the slogans helped me to understand what is mine to own & what I can put down. I do not need to carry the "weight of the world." I still use them today.
Currently, I am focused on One Day At A Time - because I am struggling with loneliness, depression, and the stark reality of how real hatred is right now in my country. I survived working in healthcare all through this stupid Pandemic, and now I am beginning to crumble. Staying free of Covid is exhausting, and I have lost a few friends b/c I won't ignore what is happening & go back to "normal life." The sad thing is, I don't preach my health protocols on anyone else, they are just uncomfortable with the reminders. I work on my Gratitude List every single day... it helps me to stay grounded & reminds me that although I feel like I have lost everything, I do indeed have so much to be thankful for! (Bless you Betty)
Namaste! &
__________________
"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
Thank you Mary for your service and ESH and all above shares . The slogans are great because they are handy and as noted, can be used as a mantra to calm me down. I have many I like and use the one that fits the circumstance. One Day at a Time keeps me grounded and prevents me from getting overwhelmed . (( PNP)), thanks for your share. I truly appreciate the work and sacrifice of health care professionals. I hope you continue to share your light and experience better days ahead.
I was a late adopter of slogans as a tool, but they are compact program power plants. For a very long time early on, and still today, I use the first half of the Serenity Prayer to realign.
One Day at a Time has become immensely helpful as I am reminded to focus on the present moment rather than compile future worries and agendas.
Very good stuff
__________________
Paul
"...when we try to control others, we lose the ability to manage our own lives." - Paths to Recovery
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