Awareness is Key

The group moderator today explained that awareness is a key component of successful recovery.

And at first the group members didn't quite seem to grasp the importance of awareness.  But, as he went on to explain, self-awareness is especially critical in dealing with anger, frustration, and other feelings that lead us to get high.

He pointed out that none of us grew up with the goal of becoming a miserable alcoholic or drug addict. Our initial goal might have been fun, to be one of the crowd. Or maybe to reduce our stress. Or maybe to escape. Few of us were aware we might be opening the door to a life of misery and enslavement. 

Awareness allows us to monitor feelings in an effort to avoid a relapse. As the moderator said, none of us ever sat down and said the most logical thing I can do is stick a needle in my arm. Or smoke meth. Or slam down a fifth of whiskey. Our experience is that many addicts use to escape feelings, to gain respite from an accumulation of emotional pain or stress.

However, if we clean house as we go through our day , emotional crap doesn't build up. How do we clean house?  By dealing with issues as they arise. We talk to our sponsor. We speak to our coworkers. If angry, we let someone know. When afraid, we confront our fears. We carry as little emotional luggage as possible as we go throughout our day and week.

And we do this by being aware of where we're at emotionally and dealing with issues as they arise.  It's a rewarding habit that can be cultivated with practice.