“Yesterdays have no value except as experience to be used in making today and the future more fruitful.” (ODAT, 13 April)
Yesterdays, and the earlier parts of today.
How can today and the future be made more fruitful?
If I adopt constructive attitudes, think constructive
thoughts, and adopt constructive behaviour.
All of this comes under Step Eleven:
Knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry that
out.
The point of looking at yesterdays and the earlier parts of
today is merely to recognise MY errors.
The point of looking at tomorrows and the later parts of
today is merely to identity MY actions.
Any other examination of the past (or indeed the future)
leads to mental, emotional, and spiritual drunkenness.
The alcoholic is drunk on alcohol.
As an Al-Anon, I was drunk on the alcoholic, the addict, the
disordered person, the disordered world, and all sorts of aspects of the past,
present, and the future, people, places, and things, that are either none of my
business or I can do nothing about.
I’ve learned I cannot have a reasonable, rational
conversation with an alcoholic if they’re drunk, physically.
I’ve learned I cannot have a reasonable, rational
conversation with an Al-Anon if they’re drunk, mentally, emotionally,
spiritually.
Another text refers to the ‘well-known stages of a spree’.
Just as with the alcoholic, where one has to wait until the spree is over
before a useful conversation can be had, with an Al-Anon, the spree also needs
to be over. The alcoholic has to put down the drink. The Al-Anon has to put
down him, her, or them. Then we can have a good conversation.
Al-Anon teaches me to Let It Begin With Me. If someone else
can Let It Begin With Them, then we have an excellent
basis for discussion.