Hope for today: july 25
Growing up with two alcoholic parents, I learned to hide from them before the trouble started. By the time I was a teenager, I was trained to the point where I would disappear as soon as I heard the sound of an ice cube hitting the bottom of a glass.
Now years later, the urge to escape can come over me just as suddenly and irrationally. A slight misunderstanding or awkward silence between another person and me is enough to trigger my fear and cause me to run and hide in one way or another. Sometimes I hide in obvious ways, like not answering the phone. More often I hide simply by not saying what I really mean so I can avoid becoming the target of expected criticism.
Al-Anon taught me to think before I run away from a person, a conflict, or an opportunity to share from the heart. When I react in fear, I give power to the unhealthy part of myself that tells me it's not safe to be myself and that I'll never be able to change. Today my search for new solutions to old problems begins with either self-acceptance or change.
Thought for the Day
The Serenity Prayer reminds me that I can always count on my Higher Power for help when I make an effort to face my fears by using the tools of the program.
The Serenity Prayer can help me. "
Alateen—a day at a time, p. 247
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