Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2020

[bluidkiti]

June 8

Quote of the Week

"Anger is one letter away from danger."

When I came into the program, I was so angry, but I didn’t realize how much. For years I had used drugs and alcohol to numb my feelings, to manage and hide them. When my temporary solutions were taken away, my anger quickly turned to rage, and I soon found that I had turned much of this rage inward. In fact, today I still believe that a core characteristic of alcoholism is deep self-loathing.

Thank God for recovery. By working the Twelve Steps I learned how to forgive others and myself and take responsibility for my part. I also learned how to surrender to a Power greater than myself. Slowly, I began to release a lot of the regret and resentment that made up a great deal of my rage. And once the rage dissipated, I actually had the ability to choose healthier ways of dealing with my feelings.

But I still get angry sometimes. These days I’ve learned that when I do get angry, I’m still in danger of turning it inward and acting in self-destructive ways. I’m quick to isolate and grow depressed, to tell someone off and create resentments, or even to eat too much and go back into self-loathing. Thankfully, I have learned to acknowledge and deal with my anger before it turns into rage. Today, I realize that anger is one letter away from danger, and I use my program to stay out of harm’s way.