Author: brian coates

CARETAKING

CARETAKING

June 28, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader “…we do not have to participate in their dysfunction. We are free to live our own lives.” BRB p. 123 “As children, we may have had to literally be our “brother’s keeper” because in the dysfunction we were given responsibilities far beyond our years. And we didn’t…

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SELF-DOUBT

SELF-DOUBT

June 27, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader “We were taught to doubt ourselves so it became natural to believe that we are wrong, defective, or uninformed.” BRB p. 302 “Many of us learned early to doubt what we knew we saw because our parents shamed us into believing we were incapable of knowing.  At…

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CONFLICTING FEELINGS – HOLIDAYS

CONFLICTING FEELINGS – HOLIDAYS

June 26, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader  “We knew our parents would forget or would trivialize birthdays or holidays.” BRB p. 296 “The conflicting emotional shift of any holiday can trigger a tsunami of pent-up feelings that cannot be reined in by any sentimental holiday movie, song, or festive decorations. Sorting out our conflicted…

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BOUNDARIES

BOUNDARIES

June 24, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader “The level of choice we develop in ACA is proportional to the integrity of our boundaries. The more we let go, the stronger our boundaries become. This is an ACA paradox: Letting go creates stronger boundaries.” BRB p. 148 “Most of us grew up in families without…

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