"Newly recovering addicts may experience anxiety and panic when confronted with new feelings they have never learned to manage.They may believe angry means feeling homocidal,loving means engulfing someone,being loved means being engulfed by someone,hating someone means alienating the whole world,and so on.Confronting these feelings ia s formidable challenge.
Some people in early recovery fear having no control over a specific feeling.It is important that both the addict and family members understand that in addiction feelings were the prime target of the chemicals,and that anstinence can initially result in an emotional chaos or emotional paralysis."
During that first couple of months I was clean,I would call my sponsor a couple of times a day with some drama.The clerk at the store gave me attitude,the driver in front of me didn't signal,my dog wouldn't go out and poo poo,a client raised their voice......yada,yada,yada....
Everything was monumental.My emotions were raw .Some of it has to do with PAWS but I had spent many years going to great lengths to shut down.
Sid would listen to me patiently and then would always say"Tim,I guarantee you won't feel the same way tomorrow."...He was usually right.
Don't let your emotions and feelings sabatoge you.They can change within in an hour.Keep talking about it as much as you need to.It's o.k. if you feel like you are whining.We've all been there.
What are you doing today to keep yourself emotionally healthy?Are there things you're stuffing that you need to talk about?
"Clancy, a popular AA speaker,says it so well:"My world was drab and gray.My family,my home life,my car-all were gray.I cannot stand everything being gray.I need color! And alcohol provided color to life."
How are you getting your color today?
Thank you for sharing that Tim. Especially the part about the family.
I was exactly like that when I first got clean. Drama was my best friend. Everyone and everything was there to piss me off. I would get so mad at meetings and with my sponsor when I would share this stuff...they would usually tell me to get over myself. I hate that. lol
I was exactly like that when I first got clean. Drama was my best friend. Everyone and everything was there to piss me off. I would get so mad at meetings and with my sponsor when I would share this stuff...they would usually tell me to get over myself. I hate that. lol
Good post, Tim. I broke a lot of guitar strings those first 6 months of recovery. Better than the alternative, but it does pass and the drama becomes more manageable in time...
"Newly recovering addicts may experience anxiety and panic when confronted with new feelings they have never learned to manage.They may believe angry means feeling homocidal,loving means engulfing someone,being loved means being engulfed by someone,hating someone means alienating the whole world,
That is funny, and so true.
That is funny, and so true.
Wow...Tim...that is so prolific for me today!!! Grey...grey...and more grey....I detest it. What this post shows me is that I really need to work on adding some color to my world without the aid of some mind altering substance.
My emotions are raw..and they are all over the place and come to think of it...I actually don't like the fact that I can clearly see the mess that my life seems to be in...uuugggghhhhhh....I do know that eating narcotics won't spruce it up for long....I might get some very wild vibrant colors happening but before long....fade to black.....and I will take grey over black any day!
My emotions are raw..and they are all over the place and come to think of it...I actually don't like the fact that I can clearly see the mess that my life seems to be in...uuugggghhhhhh....I do know that eating narcotics won't spruce it up for long....I might get some very wild vibrant colors happening but before long....fade to black.....and I will take grey over black any day!
