Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2024

[bluidkiti]

July 22

Quote of the Week

"Discomfort is required for change."

I don’t like to be uncomfortable, and for a long time I drank a lot to avoid feeling that way. When I had stress at work, I’d drink as soon as I got off. When relationships got complicated, I drank before, during, and after interactions. After a while, my solution—drinking—made my life unmanageable, so I drank even more. Finally, when I was forced to admit my solution was no longer working, I grew so unhappy that I was willing to change. And that’s when I entered recovery.

Once in the program, I was very uncomfortable again. I wasn’t familiar with how meetings went, didn’t know anyone, and the feelings that were bubbling to the surface made staying sober nearly impossible. Plus, my sponsor was suggesting many actions that made me even more uncomfortable, like sitting in the front of the room. He said, “Sit up front in recovery row, instead of at the back in denial aisle.” He also suggested I take commitments, go out to fellowship, and write a First Step inventory. What had I gotten myself into?

Because I couldn’t imagine a life of drinking anymore, I was willing to follow his direction. As I did, something magical happened: I began to feel better. I soon learned that feeling uncomfortable doesn’t last, as long as I’m willing to take action. I also learned that I wouldn’t be willing to take the actions unless I was motivated by discomfort. In this way, I have come to see anxious feelings, negative thoughts, and old fears as merely signals that change is needed. I honor these feelings today and get into action to make the changes required for my life to get better.