Well, shiver me timbers!\u00a0 Let\u2019s just go into hiding in November and emerge deep into an unwelcomed New Year.\u00a0 That\u2019ll keep us safe from using!<\/p>\n
What kind of message is this for the newcomer?<\/p>\n
The English poet, William Blake, refers to humanity\u2019s propensity to \u201cmake a hell in heaven\u2019s despite.\u201d[i]<\/a>\u00a0 We know that addiction is hell.\u00a0 But what about recovery?\u00a0 \u00a0Are we recovering people living in Blake\u2019s heaven or hell?<\/p>\n And, gallows humor notwithstanding, is it even true about the holidays?\u00a0 Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n Each of these maligned days expresses a profound human consciousness \u2013 of our relationship to our environment, of our deep need for each other, of the necessity for periodic renewal.\u00a0 This consciousness, spiritual as it is, can be seen in rituals across time and cultures.<\/p>\n What, then, are the principles underlying our major holidays?<\/p>\n
Holiday Event<\/strong><\/td>\n| Spiritual Principle<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Thanksgiving<\/td>\n | Gratitude \u2013 manifest in sharing the harvest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Christmas<\/td>\n | Connection \u2013 manifest in exchange of tokens of affection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | New Year<\/td>\n | Renewal \u2013 manifest in celebrating the beginning of new growth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | Gratitude, connection, renewal – what\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n So the question becomes, how do we substitute the \u201cheaven\u201d of manifesting these spiritual values in place of the \u201chell\u201d of a return to using?\u00a0 Can we approach the holidays from the perspective of faith, not fear?<\/p>\n Recovery is defined by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as, \u201ca process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life<\/em><\/strong>, and strive to reach their full potential.\u201d\u00a0 (Emphasis added)<\/p>\n And there it is: \u00a0\u201clive a self-directed life.\u201d\u00a0 Just as recovery is a personal responsibility, it is also our responsibility as people in recovery \u2013 45 million of us according to latest SAMHSA statistics \u2013 to move the needle for ourselves and in our communities and celebrate the holidays as the \u201cHoly Days\u201d of our spiritual values.<\/p>\n Or, more prosaically, who\u2019s driving the bus?\u00a0 Me or my addiction?\u00a0 That\u2019s the challenge: heaven or hell?<\/p>\n The holidays may focus our minds but, if we adopt the recommended \u201cone-day-at-a-time\u201d approach to life, this challenge is also a daily practice:\u00a0 Do I wake up to gratitude for my abundant life?\u00a0 (Not abundant, you say?\u00a0 Take a look at your gratitude list for the day and tell us again that you don\u2019t live in abundance \u2013 awake, alive, breathing, choices to make about the day\u2019s activities, opportunities to experience the kindness of strangers, etc.)<\/p>\n Do I plan my day around connection?\u00a0 Recovery meetings, calls with others in recovery, integrity in my business dealings and interactions with others?\u00a0 And do I close this day with self-reflection and a commitment to repeating what I did well, repairing what I harmed, and hoping to live another day in gratitude?<\/p>\n If I live these recovery principles, I can celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year with joy.\u00a0 For myself, I give the gift of recovery; I prepare individual portions of holiday-themed foods to honor seasonal harvests and decorate my home for my delight; I may burn candles to honor the dark of winter and the impending return of light.\u00a0 In community, I can be of service in multiple settings and events, including recovery gatherings such as 12 Step Alcathons (on Zoom or IRL or both).\u00a0 With family and friends, I can be of good cheer, regardless of external dramas \u2013 yes, I\u2019ll fake it if I have to!\u00a0 If necessary, I\u2019ll have an exit strategy ready.<\/p>\n Bottom line: my experience of the holidays is my responsibility.\u00a0 I\u2019m in the driver\u2019s seat.\u00a0 I choose heaven \u201cin hell\u2019s despair,\u201d an option also offered by the poet.<\/p>\n In the spirit of the season, please join me in enjoying happy holidays!<\/p>\n [i]<\/a> The Clod and the Pebble (1794), https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Clod_and_the_Pebble<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Doom and gloom \u2013 that\u2019s what we\u2019re in for!\u00a0 Just listen to the doomsayers: \u201cAddiction is a three-fold disease \u2013 Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year.\u201d\u00a0 How often do we hear this \u201cjoke\u201d in 12-Step rooms?\u00a0 (There are no jokes, said Dr. Freud.) Well, shiver me timbers!\u00a0 Let\u2019s just go into hiding in November and emerge deep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recovery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=920"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":947,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions\/947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sobriety-together.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |