UNCOVERING THE TRUTH
Oct 8, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader
“We are looking for the truth so that we can live our own lives with choice and self-confidence. We want to break the cycle of family dysfunction.” BRB p. 27
“Most of us grew up telling lies so the outside world would think that things were okay at home. We hid the truth because of the shame we felt, and because we understood the family rules, whether they were unwritten or not.
As we became adults, we often found it easy to continue lying about ourselves. Maybe we embellished to make ourselves look better because we weren’t even sure what the truth was anymore. Or maybe we did so because we “knew” that people wouldn’t accept us for who we really were. But the more lies we told, the harder it became to keep track, which made us terrified of slipping up.
In recovery, we begin to uncover the truth of who we are and where we come from, seeing the necessity of breaking our dysfunctional cycle. We learn to be honest about ourselves in our meetings where we learn we’re not alone. We begin to see that others respect our honesty in a way that is constructive and hopeful. By choosing to be genuine, we find that this is actually the easier, softer way many of us have always looked for.
On this day I will honor myself by recognizing when I am tempted by an old habit. I will do what’s right for my True Self.”
My experience:
Rigorously honest is how I am attempting to live my life today. Over my life there have been so many lies even to myself. I, like many others, justified these lies as little white lies, feeling like people did not have to know everything, image protection, family image protection, not wanting to hurt others feelings, the list goes on. When you finally are able to come clean and speak honestly in meetings, what a weight off of your shoulders. No judgement from people, just understanding. Today, in every encounter that I have, although I try to find the kindest words I can, I attempt to give my truth. This makes me feel so much better and gives the other person the feedback they need in order to make a more informed decision. What a relief!!
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