In life everyone has done or said things they would like to forget and can't. There are memories we try to wish and pray away. There are always a few in some dark corner of our minds just waiting for us to wrap our heads around them and drag them back into the light. Sometimes others bring it back into that light for us.
Alcohol, and/or anger makes people say, and do things they wouldn't normally even consider when calm or sober. There's the cutting remarks, pushing of hot buttons, dredged up family secrets and reminders of poor past decisions that we want permanently erased from our memory drive. There is inevitably something we have done or said while drunk, or riled up, that we wish we could take back. This is not exclusive to people like me. Everyone has an incident or remark they remember, or don't, that haunts them or embarrasses them to some degree.
For an alcoholic this haunting presents itself through remorse, shame and self-loathing that eventually it becomes overwhelming. It is simple math. Too many drinks + several years of too many drinks = loss of control, rage, verbal warfare and multiple bad decisions. This beast of burden becomes so daunting that it creates a cycle of more drinking and poor decisions. The equation is more drinks to forget, more for poor decisions made,more and more drinks, ad infinitum.
For the occasional partier or abstainer, there are probably a few of these silly, or sometimes serious, incidents that happened on a vacation or at a company party that are uncomfortable when relived. Some of them were serious enough to create a permanent scar on one, or more of the parties involved. The normal person moves on or works through it. Few seem to let it slip away into lost moments of days gone by.
Before I ever picked up a drink some things happened to me that I couldn't process as a little boy. The incidents were confusing and happened at the hands of a person I was told to trust. The mixed messages created confusing feelings, and later would fuel my isolation and anger. It twisted my sense of trust and robbed me of my innocence. This "loved" one is no longer here. I have never shared the pain with my family because I feel nothing good can come out of dredging up a ghost of painful past.
That person is not here to respond and other lives would be damaged at the news. It is my choice to hold it back because there is no redeeming or positive outcome that would result from my soul cleansing confession. It can not be changed, no matter how badly we want it to. No human can change history. I have forgiven this person. Not for his actions but for his humanity. God has given me so many chances. To hold hatred inside would rot me away slowly, while he is dead. He has stood before his maker and accounted for his stop here. His fate is up to powers I can't even perceive.
One of the most difficult, but vital parts of my recovery is facing the past, and those whom I have hurt along the way. By cleaning up the messes I have created I am relieved of some of the baggage I was burdened with daily. We drink to forget. We drink to escape. We drink to try to temporarily erase the massive pain we have created through the fog of a hangover.
Remember the Grinch cartoon where the little dog with the stick on his head is pulling that massive sled stacked four stories high with the Grinch's stolen Christmas booty? At one point they slide down a hill to a cliff, the overstuffed sleigh is teetering on the edge of disaster. The cute little dog is hanging over the edge of the cliff looking up at the huge bags that are sure to destroy him if it falls. That is what a drunk in recovery is trying to fix. Active drinkers keep adding to the burden. We try to remove the baggage, a little bit at a time, so that it doesn't destroy us. As we lighten the burden, the urge to escape is replaced by satisfaction in making things right, or at least taking responsibility for our past mistakes.
Setting the record straight with those we have wronged is greeted with acceptance and forgiveness, angry rejection or indifference by the attempted confession. The outcomes, once again, are out of our control but the issue being faced takes one more package off the sleigh of guilt to the man in recovery. There are those we can't reach, or those who are dead who make taking of responsibility for past wrongs impossible. We do the best we can with who we can, and leave the rest up to God's timing.
In the majority of reparations the people we have wronged are wives, husbands, loved ones and friends who are still in our orbit. The reparations offered to these people are "living" reparations. By leading decent, sober well intentioned lives, we show others that we are new creatures. Our actions and giving without expecting anything in return is a lifetime commitment to sobriety, and our sanity. The ultimate goal is taking ownership of our errors and living peaceably with those offended by our past wrongs.
The selfish, uncaring drunk I was for 20 years, is still inside of me, part of my permanent record. It can not be changed. There are times when people perceive that I have done them wrong. I am accused of things I did not do. The accusations are understood but create anger and resentment towards our accuser. If a dog has stolen your socks time after time, when one goes missing, the doghouse is the first place you check, based on his past. Lashing out creates more trouble. An honest appraisal of my past gives me understanding as to why they think I am the perpetrator. I was a sock stealing dog for years. I just don't steal them anymore.
Forgiveness is the key to contented life, whether drunk or sober. Anger and resentment are deadly for an addict. If dwelled upon for too long, these feelings will eventually lead us back to escape through the bottle or addiction. Forgiving myself has been the hardest reparation I have faced in recovery. The self-loathing, self-hate, fear, remorse, regret and shame can be relentless as my mind gets clearer in my sobriety. Forgiving myself is vital, or I will end up drunk or crazy.
I know GOD has forgiven me for my sins and human failings. Knowing he has forgiven me, by failing to forgive myself and others, I am questioning GOD's omnipotence. I have been pardoned for my past mistakes by the ultimate expert on forgiveness. If I question my worthiness for forgiveness, I am doubting his authority and grace. It will take time, but with help, I will make it through to the other side. I spent 28 years drinking. It may take 50 years before I am forgiven by others and myself. As long as I am open-minded, and keep GOD centered in my efforts, everything will work out fine. More specifically they will work out exactly as God has planned.
Forgive yourself and others for shortcomings and human weakness. God has forgiven us if we have sincerely asked for his mercy. Life is too short to live in the past. Remember that every day is a gift, and the days we live with hate and anger, whether inward or outward, robs us of enjoying the "present" of today. If I don't share the grace and blessings that have been freely given to me, I just might lose them all....
Alcohol, and/or anger makes people say, and do things they wouldn't normally even consider when calm or sober. There's the cutting remarks, pushing of hot buttons, dredged up family secrets and reminders of poor past decisions that we want permanently erased from our memory drive. There is inevitably something we have done or said while drunk, or riled up, that we wish we could take back. This is not exclusive to people like me. Everyone has an incident or remark they remember, or don't, that haunts them or embarrasses them to some degree.
For an alcoholic this haunting presents itself through remorse, shame and self-loathing that eventually it becomes overwhelming. It is simple math. Too many drinks + several years of too many drinks = loss of control, rage, verbal warfare and multiple bad decisions. This beast of burden becomes so daunting that it creates a cycle of more drinking and poor decisions. The equation is more drinks to forget, more for poor decisions made,more and more drinks, ad infinitum.
For the occasional partier or abstainer, there are probably a few of these silly, or sometimes serious, incidents that happened on a vacation or at a company party that are uncomfortable when relived. Some of them were serious enough to create a permanent scar on one, or more of the parties involved. The normal person moves on or works through it. Few seem to let it slip away into lost moments of days gone by.
Before I ever picked up a drink some things happened to me that I couldn't process as a little boy. The incidents were confusing and happened at the hands of a person I was told to trust. The mixed messages created confusing feelings, and later would fuel my isolation and anger. It twisted my sense of trust and robbed me of my innocence. This "loved" one is no longer here. I have never shared the pain with my family because I feel nothing good can come out of dredging up a ghost of painful past.
That person is not here to respond and other lives would be damaged at the news. It is my choice to hold it back because there is no redeeming or positive outcome that would result from my soul cleansing confession. It can not be changed, no matter how badly we want it to. No human can change history. I have forgiven this person. Not for his actions but for his humanity. God has given me so many chances. To hold hatred inside would rot me away slowly, while he is dead. He has stood before his maker and accounted for his stop here. His fate is up to powers I can't even perceive.
One of the most difficult, but vital parts of my recovery is facing the past, and those whom I have hurt along the way. By cleaning up the messes I have created I am relieved of some of the baggage I was burdened with daily. We drink to forget. We drink to escape. We drink to try to temporarily erase the massive pain we have created through the fog of a hangover.
Remember the Grinch cartoon where the little dog with the stick on his head is pulling that massive sled stacked four stories high with the Grinch's stolen Christmas booty? At one point they slide down a hill to a cliff, the overstuffed sleigh is teetering on the edge of disaster. The cute little dog is hanging over the edge of the cliff looking up at the huge bags that are sure to destroy him if it falls. That is what a drunk in recovery is trying to fix. Active drinkers keep adding to the burden. We try to remove the baggage, a little bit at a time, so that it doesn't destroy us. As we lighten the burden, the urge to escape is replaced by satisfaction in making things right, or at least taking responsibility for our past mistakes.
Setting the record straight with those we have wronged is greeted with acceptance and forgiveness, angry rejection or indifference by the attempted confession. The outcomes, once again, are out of our control but the issue being faced takes one more package off the sleigh of guilt to the man in recovery. There are those we can't reach, or those who are dead who make taking of responsibility for past wrongs impossible. We do the best we can with who we can, and leave the rest up to God's timing.
In the majority of reparations the people we have wronged are wives, husbands, loved ones and friends who are still in our orbit. The reparations offered to these people are "living" reparations. By leading decent, sober well intentioned lives, we show others that we are new creatures. Our actions and giving without expecting anything in return is a lifetime commitment to sobriety, and our sanity. The ultimate goal is taking ownership of our errors and living peaceably with those offended by our past wrongs.
The selfish, uncaring drunk I was for 20 years, is still inside of me, part of my permanent record. It can not be changed. There are times when people perceive that I have done them wrong. I am accused of things I did not do. The accusations are understood but create anger and resentment towards our accuser. If a dog has stolen your socks time after time, when one goes missing, the doghouse is the first place you check, based on his past. Lashing out creates more trouble. An honest appraisal of my past gives me understanding as to why they think I am the perpetrator. I was a sock stealing dog for years. I just don't steal them anymore.
Forgiveness is the key to contented life, whether drunk or sober. Anger and resentment are deadly for an addict. If dwelled upon for too long, these feelings will eventually lead us back to escape through the bottle or addiction. Forgiving myself has been the hardest reparation I have faced in recovery. The self-loathing, self-hate, fear, remorse, regret and shame can be relentless as my mind gets clearer in my sobriety. Forgiving myself is vital, or I will end up drunk or crazy.
I know GOD has forgiven me for my sins and human failings. Knowing he has forgiven me, by failing to forgive myself and others, I am questioning GOD's omnipotence. I have been pardoned for my past mistakes by the ultimate expert on forgiveness. If I question my worthiness for forgiveness, I am doubting his authority and grace. It will take time, but with help, I will make it through to the other side. I spent 28 years drinking. It may take 50 years before I am forgiven by others and myself. As long as I am open-minded, and keep GOD centered in my efforts, everything will work out fine. More specifically they will work out exactly as God has planned.
Forgive yourself and others for shortcomings and human weakness. God has forgiven us if we have sincerely asked for his mercy. Life is too short to live in the past. Remember that every day is a gift, and the days we live with hate and anger, whether inward or outward, robs us of enjoying the "present" of today. If I don't share the grace and blessings that have been freely given to me, I just might lose them all....
No comments:
Post a Comment