For Today: September 20th

Take the place and attitude to which you se your unquestionable right, and all men acquiesce.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am surrounded in this modern world by influences that would serve self-defeating ends. Whether I am reading a magazine, watching television or listening to the radio, I am constantly being importuned to run out immediately and buy something on which to snack---or with which to lead someone else down the primrose path (“Bake someone happy”).  Neither I nor anyone I love will benefit if these siren songs succeed in diverting me from my path.  The strength to turn away from harm is directly related to my contact with my Higher Power.  I need only remember how many times I said, “Just this once,” and the subsequent feeling of being invaded.

To serve my Higher Power is to serve myself---the healthy, strong, growing part of myself.

For Today:  There is no need to separate myself from the world to stay abstinent, nor must I submit to those influences that can destroy me.  Neither I nor anyone I love needs junk food.

*****

AMEN to that! Neither I nor anyone I love needs junk food!

“Need” is very different from “Want”………..and many people try to convince me that it’s not ‘normal’ to stay away from sugary foods, that I should ‘just’ eat them ‘in moderation.’  These statements are made by people who have NO IDEA of what it means to be a compulsive overeater/food addict.  The word ‘moderation’ may exist for THEM, but it does NOT exist for ME.

I have never separated myself from the world in my effort to get sober from food/booze/cigarettes (notice a slight oral fixation here? J)  I can always find something healthy to eat when I am out and about, but if I can’t, then I won’t eat until later.  No big deal.  I kept myself out of drinking related environments when I was first getting sober, but after a while, I found no problem there either.  Nor do I care about what someone else is eating or drinking around me. 

Once in a while I feel the ‘pity party’ mentality creeping in, and that is something to watch out for. Nothing can bring me crashing down faster than self-pity. If I start down that road, I lose my connection to God as well.

I like how this reading talks about “Just this once” and the subsequent feeling of being invaded.  I DO feel invaded when I have a relapse…………like someone else has taken ME over!

One of the biggest things I’ve learned over the past 3+ years is to ditch the all-or-nothing mentality when it comes to making mistakes. If I DO have a relapse, I don’t have to keep eating/smoking (I’ve never had a relapse with booze)……..I can get back to my plan of abstinence right away, and move forward instead of backward.

For today, I am grateful for this program of recovery which allows me to feel sane and more balanced…..and happier than I’ve ever been before, one day at a time.