Christmas Part 1

It’s that time of year again. The time of brotherly love, families, giving, charity and anxieties of all sorts. For some this a wondrous time, however for many others it is a time of dread. There are so many aspects that this time of the year brings up for everybody. For some this is a time of immense loneliness and pain. For others it is a time of dread, for others a time full of anxious moments. We shall try to address some of these in the coming days.

Today let us look at the aspect of loneliness and pain. For some of us we are miles and miles away from any family, and it is not feasible to go home. A phone call during the holidays is nice however there is still a lot of time feeling disconnected. For yet others we miles away from families and we have burnt many bridges, that the phone calls if at all possible are tense and short. While yet some us have burnt bridges that are unrepaired and/or unrepeatable (presently. There are those to without a family to connect with. In this mix there are those too whose family ties are too chaotic and/or dysfunctional that a call or visit is unthinkable, or potentially worse than being without. In this mix there are those who have not built very strong bonds yet in recovery to have established an extended family. Those whose pride gets in the way of accepting the invitations of others, mainly because they feel out of place, or “don’t want to impose. Or it is just too uncomfortable. In this mix and the time spent alone, the mind seems to only haunt and torment, bringing up all the people we have hurt, lost, pushed away, destroyed ties with. All the regrets and mistakes are there to haunt us. As well as all the hurts done to us.

It is in these times that we really need to be availing ourselves of all the meetings available. Get out; spend as much time with others in the program. Get to meetings, go for coffee. Cut down the time “the committee” has to mess up your thinking. Talk to your sponsor daily, talk to your recovery coach as often as possible, talk to your counsellor as often as available. Talk to your support system continuously. The less time alone the better. Bury the pride! Accept any and all invitations from program members and/or your support system to spend time with them at the holidays. They more or less understand what you are going through and want to help. In some if not most cases you will be helping them as much as you think they are helping you. In some instances you will be helping them more than you believe they are helping you. Remember recovery is not a one person job. We can’t do it alone. So talk constantly about what is going on for you. You will be amazed at how many others are experiencing the same feeling. You’re talking about it may just save the life or sobriety of the person beside you. Remember together we can do what we can’t do alone.
Remember your higher power didn’t bring you this far just to leave you hanging.
P.S. If you really need someone to talk with email me at wiledchild@live.ca ANYTIME-I will respond
Remember God does not create garbage