“The gifts of Al-Anon are not without a price tag; freedom, for example, can only be achieved by paying the price we call acceptance. If we can accept the First Step, we are set free from the need to control the alcoholic. If we can surrender to God’s guidance, it will cost us our self-will, so precious to us who have always thought we could dominate. It is up to us to decide whether freedom from our despair is worth all this. Most of us believe it is.” (ODAT, 8 May)
What I’ve given up (though resurgences occur):
- Thinking (unnecessarily) about them
- Talking (unnecessarily) about them
- Interference
- Personal ambition
- Worry
- Grievance
- Argument
- Materialism
What I’ve got:
- Nothing.
That nothingness gives me room to breathe and live.