CELEBRATE SUCCESS

Sept 7, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader

“Our group members celebrate our growth and recovery with us.”  BRB p. 404

“Our critical inner parent can whisper to us all day long, repeating the messages we heard as children from our parents, teachers, and other authority figures from our formative years. Sometimes we may not even hear the messages as thoughts; instead we just feel bad about ourselves off and on all day.

But in recovery, as we become aware of the influence this critical voice has over us, and by acknowledging the harm it is causing, we start to replace the negative messages with positive ones. We affirm ourselves for our willingness to change.

Since the ACA program requires courage, stamina, and perseverance, it can be very rejuvenating to celebrate our successes and reward ourselves for the progress we make. Sometimes after a rough day, simply making it to a meeting deserves a hug of congratulations. Or after working through a Step Four exercise, our reward might be calling a fellow traveler to receive affirmation as we talk about what we learned about ourselves.

On this day I will acknowledge the recovery actions I take by celebrating my progress with my fellow travelers who support and value me.”

My experience:

I hear the whisper of my father’s words, “it’s your fault.”  Even as an adult and my family and I were struggling financially, my father said to me, “it’s your fault.”  As I write these words I understand the PTSD that shivers throughout my soul.  These words are probably etched in my psyche somewhere because this is how I feel when I am unsuccessful at anything in life.  Be it home, work, etc. “it’s your fault.”  But today I acknowledge those words, now I can take them to program and start the process of moving away from everything being my fault and owning what is mine.  I will speak about it in a meeting tonight, I will talk to my sponsor about it, I will talk to a fellow traveler about it.  I will continue to speak and process those words until the reaction becomes less and less.  One day, those words will be gone from my mind and so will the feelings attached to them.  I trust in my Higher Power that if I do the work, he will help me work through the pain and be free of it.  This will be another success that I will be able to celebrate and share.

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