Who am I?

[caressa]

Who am I? When I came to Al-Anon, I thought I knew the answer to that question, but I discovered that my answers were all out-of-date because I had long ago stopped asking myself who I was. I could tell you about the alcoholics and everyone else in my life - their likes and dislikes, opinons, feelings - but I had no answer for myself.

...Recovery is a wonderful word. It means getting something back. Today I will try to remember that "that something is me."

- Courage to Change

Heard this at my meeting this afternoon. Gave me pause for thought. Some how there is a message in here for me. I think I too have an old picture that needs updating.

Hopefully, I will have more to share on this later.

Attachments:

[SunnyGirl]

Thank you for sharing Caressa....

"Sometimes we'll take a few steps backward. That's
okay too. Sometimes it's necessary. Sometimes it's
part of going forward." —Codependent No More

I am a work in progress..... The most important thing for me today
is keeping my serenity as my #1 priority. My life and my recovery
is an ongoing process of personal evolution, I grow and change on
a daily basis. There are days that I feel inadequate and there are days
that I feel I am coasting down hill. Life is a process, as is recovery,
today I am devoted to allowing the process of life to unfold as God
would have it.

Peace on the journey, SunnyGirl

[BW]

When I came into recovery I didn't have a clue who I was...I was a sister, a step mom, a daughter, a nurse, a care giver......I was who ever you needed me to be and changed to fit whatever the situation...a real camealon wearing so many masks...It was the steps that helped me to uncover I discover the real me. Over the years I've made a great many changes and I no longer have to wear the masks...Was it Flip Wilson who said.."What you see is what you got"?

This is me...and yet..I am still growing and still changing and yet...still real

[caressa]

Like how it said to look at yourself and to recognize a part of you that no longer serves in today.

I identify with what you said about playing many roles and wearing many masks. I too feel that what you see is what you get.

Yet in today, I am not too happy with what I see. I feel like I need to make some changes within me.

As I sit here typeing this, my body is screaming. I hurt from top to tow and the inside is hurting as well as the outside. The inside feels like screaming!

Have always said that I can't allow my pain to take over my life. I feel like it has been too much of a focus and yet through it all I need to practice self-care.

I am a woman, worthy of recovery. I try to be open to the healing and the changes I need to make in my life and willing to do what I need to do to make things better.

What I need to do is to stay in the moment, accept what is, and not let my feelings rule my life. I need to patiently wait for things to happen and trust the process.

I have the tools, I need to utilize them. I have been doing it to the best of my ability, but not feeling that my best is enough.

I daily turn things over to my Higher Power and yet I know that it is me that has to do the do things and it is me who has to do the foot work. I came to realize that I wasn't always capable of doing that and I reached out to a couple of people but still haven't gotten the help I need.

Who am I? A walking hurting unit! Someone who is sick and tired of being tired and sick and wants the pain to go away. There are solutions, but they are not ones that I am willing to take. My doctor's solution is 'take a pill.' Take the pill it is a good one. When he says that, I am an angry woman

[BW]

I hear ya, Carressa...Doctor's of today have tendency to make me angry too with their idea of the pill philosophy that "cures all"..My illness was made much worse by certain meds that were prescribed. Turn on the telly and you see all these lawyer ads for law suits for meds that were released too soon to the public that caused a great deal of harm, oft times fatal. becasue people thought just becaseu they are docotrs "it must be safe"...Folks have a right to refuse meds and have a right to request a second opinion....We in recovery are fortunate that we can go to an even higher authority to ask not only for guidance but we can also "AFFIRM" our healing...No it will not happen over night and it will not happen magically...there are steps we must take and changes we need to make for that affirmation...Afterall...nothing changes if nothing changes...I can't expect my respiratory problems to heal if I continue to smoke; as one example...or diabetes to go away if I continue to inhale everything I can that is loaded with high sugar content.

So if I change my thinking and my habits and I begin to affirm the healing I will attract that healing to me as well as the people I need in my life that will help me with that process. However, if I continue to remain negative and continue to do what I've always done...then I will continue to get what I've always got....

I'm still working on making positive changes and affirming the healing...and I know I'm still a work in progress

[caressa]

Thank you for sharing. When I get into the depression, I tend to go into the I don't care. For the most part, I am kind to myself. Once in a while I tell myself I deserve a treat. It isn't a treat if it puts another nail into my coffin.

I was going to take off and run away from home today. I did my meditation and made the decision to stay home. The program works when I work it.

[caressa222]

Always get what I need. Awesome shares.