Full Circle

Alcohol and drugs are not my problem... they are a symptom of a bigger problem: The unaddressed pain from my past.

 

My life didn’t fall apart because of my drinking... my drinking was just an escape hatch that I used to run  away from the emotions and trauma of my past. It was the only thing I could find that would dull the pain and momentarily quiet the voices in my head.

 

My problem was not drinking and using... my problem was me.

 

I had to stop trying to escape my problems and face them. If I didn’t face them, I’d never fix them and I’d keep running back to my addictions in order to stop thinking and feeling.

 

So how do we do it? How do we break the cycle and fix ourselves?

 

That’s where the Steps come in.

 

In steps 1-3, we make peace with God. In steps 4-7, we make peace with ourselves. 8-9, we make peace with others. And 10-12 is about keeping the peace.

 

The steps are numbered for a reason. They should be taken in order. A relationship with God is paramount to forgiving ourselves, and we can NEVER find forgiveness with others if we haven’t  found it in ourselves first. 

 

The Steps are designed to bring peace into our lives. Once we find peace with God, ourselves, and others, a funny thing happens... we begin to love ourselves and who we’ve become.

 

Now, do you remember the reason we drank and used in the first place? To escape our problems. 

And what was our problem? Us.

 

But since we love ourselves now, there’s no need to escape... ergo, no need to drink or use.

 

Full circle.