“In all things, I need to remember to be gentle on myself but hard on my disease.”
-CMA Member.
Striving to maintain our sobriety can sometimes feel like a fight against our very selves. We can be so serious about getting to meetings and searching through our motives and intentions, it can feel like we don’t have room to breathe. That’s when we have to remember there’s a difference between being tough on our addiction and tough on ourselves.
Sometimes we forget to show love to the recovering addict in us. We’ve got to let go of perfectionism–staying sober is not an easy task, and we aren’t going to be able to maintain anything like perfection. That doesn’t mean we give ourselves the “easier, softer way,” it just means we practice being kind to ourselves when we make mistakes. Feeling safe, loved, and supported will cement our recovery.
If we find we’re resenting the program, or getting burned out, it’s important to restore some joy to our recovery. The more we enjoy the fellowship, the more likely it is we’ll stick around. We remain focused on fighting this disease. And that includes having fun.
Prayer: Higher Power, help me to treat myself with kindness so I don’t make the job of staying sober any harder than it needs to be.