It's nice to hear from you again Elyah! Don't be a stranger.

Eye.nonymous wrote:


That's so sweet. Please don't bother having a sweet new year. I just wish you a real sweet Rosh Hashonah, and am sure that G-d will take care of all the year-arrangements.

Your sobriety is such a gift to us folks!

A while back if I would have so much as thought of acting out, I would feel in danger and pick up the phone to call someone or do some writing or post on GYE. I think I've started to take recovery for granted a bit, which is dangerous. If a little slip comes along I somehow don't really believe it's happening--it somehow doesn't register. It's part of the sickness.

Or, I sort of have this feeling, "Now that I've been clean for so long and I've got all these tools of recovery to deal with life, I could act out and still be okay." But, in reality, it would just be a matter of time before everything gets out of control again along with acting out.

Thank G-d I'm still sober, but I've been on shaky ground lately. I want to get out of this rut and stop taking recovery for granted.

--Elyah

Hi Eye,
I was just browsing for some chizzuk and I found it with your post. Mazel tov on your year. May the RBS"O grant you a long and sweet life of sobriety. Please daven for all of us that are inspired by you and want to copy you with our kinas sofrim.

Hey, Dov just called you Ketores in today's chizzuk email as well so i am in very good company.

Mazel Tov Eye.nonymous (Elyah) you are an example for all of us.

Just got through a really intense disagreement with my wife.

It got a little ugly but, thanks to recovery, I felt like the damage was contained and losses were minimized. It was like a nuclear explosion, but in an isolated desert somewhere. We pulled through it, trying to see each other's point of view, and each getting guidance from our own program sponsors--that, I think, is what saved us more than anything. Although we were seriously at odds, we had some level of doing "the actions of love"--giving when we didn't feel like it, and communicating when we would rather not talk to each other. We managed not to split too far apart, and ultimately pulled back together again.

--Elyah

Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

If I could use a golf mashal. The best golfers in the world are not the ones who hit every shot perfectly, stay in the fairway, out of the rough, and out of bunkers. They are the ones who hit many shots very well, but much more importantly know how to recover (pun intended) when they hit a bad shot.

Like he said...thanks for telling it like it is, Elyah!

Hi. Just dropping in. Still doing well, thank G-d.

--Elyah

Thanks for the update!!

Don't drop that "ball"!!!!

KOMTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU DA MAN ELYA!!!!

I've had a couple of falls lately.

I'd rather be honest than pretend to be a recovery superman.

I'm still going to recovery meetings, in regular contact with my sponsor, and working the steps.

Someone told me once, though, that the "easier softer way," most people think of as being something other than the program of recovery. Sometimes, though, it could mean doing recovery, but slacking off.

I think I did reach a point where I started taking recovery for granted and assumed I am a safe distance from acting out and it could never happen again. If I had a conflict in schedule, or simply had a rough day and was feeling like I needed to take it easy, I would more often skip a meeting instead of pushing myself to go.

Besides that, my work situation has improved. As "free-lance" which, for many years meant I was sitting in front of the computer pretending to work, more recently means that I actually have work to do and I am struggling to complete it in a timely manner. So, I would side in favor of work responsibilities instead of making time for step-work or program calls.

But I went to an extreme.

I am struggling to find a balance and to keep recovery as a high priority.

Thanks for reading,

Elyah

Thank you for your honesty.

You have previously shown us that when you have worked the program you have gotten recovery.

You have now also shown us that when you haven't worked the program you relapsed.

These are both very important messages that i constantly need to be reminded of.

Hatzlacha going forward. And don't forget, regardless of yesterday, all we got is today. Let's make the best of it.

Have a great Shabbat!

MT