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As The Big Book states, in time, responsibility will become such a large part of our recovery journey that we will even “awaken to a new sense of responsibility for others” as well. People like us are obsessed with the thought of controlling and enjoying our drugs or alcohol. The biggest problem is that our mind buys the lie that the next time it will be different. You deserve it and the consequences are not important. Recovered means free from the obsession and constant struggle to stay sober. That will be lifted if you correctly follow the twelve steps in the book.
Our spiritual malady causes us to be restless, irritable, and discontented. We should be able to just put the plug in the jug and move on with our lives. They oversimplify our problem and solution and can send the wrong information. Basically, the alcoholic, once they start they cannot control the amount they take.
On my way: 3 myths and learnings about life during significant transitions
If you’re struggling to find a Higher Power in AA, know that you’re not alone. There are many people who have been in your shoes and have found creative ways to work around this issue. Remember to keep an open mind and heart, and eventually, you will find something (or spiritual malady someone) who can serve as your own personal higher power. For example, AA rooms offer fellowship and support and provide a structure that can help keep you sober. These are all positive things that can help you on your journey to recovery, regardless of your beliefs.
What does spiritual malady mean?
This means those things that are not solid- such as our thoughts, our beliefs, our emotions- are what is spiritual. When we say that alcoholism or drug addiction is 'a spiritual malady', it means that our disease in centered in these things (thoughts, beliefs, emotions).
We have also found that the disease of addiction is not limited to any one substance and that to be sober we need to be free from all mind-altering substances. At first it really pained my still selfish mind but as time went by in the program and I stayed sober, I learned to see the value in letting go of old slights and hurts. I didn’t have to keep score with you any longer or resent anything that you said, did or didn’t do. Quite a few of my resentments had to do with what you did not do to suit me. I hung on to a few of these for a few years but I finally saw the folly in doing so. So once again taking out pen and paper I made my list. I then took this list to my sponsor for another long talk.
The Spiritual Malady: Bane of the Alcoholic and Addict
As overwhelming as I’m sure this all may seem for someone who’s either never had a spiritual connection, or been disconnected for years, I’d like to assure you it’s not as formidable as it may seem. But first, it’s crucial that you understand the difference between a spiritual experience and a religious one. While I could go on forever on the differences between these two ideas, I’ll keep it as simple as possible.
It is strange paradox, the more you focus on helping others, the more you discoverhow much you matter. A spiritual malady is a deep-seated inner conflict that leads to restlessness, irritability, and discontentment. It is a sense of “otherness” that keeps us from feeling at peace with ourselves and the world around us.
Daily Reflections
The thoughts we have as alcoholics are often insidious in such a way that we can’t tell what is true or false.The AA Big Booktalks about this delusion we develop in active addiction. Thoughts like we can eventually manage our lives while in active addiction. What can that statement possibly mean to an agnostic? Is the whole idea of someone being spiritually ill acceptable? These are questions that I have had to struggle with as an agnostic in AA. When I no longer live under the dictates of another or of alcohol, I live in a new freedom.
Ask for their health, their prosperity, their happiness, and you will be free. Even when you don’t really want it for them and your prayers are only words and you don’t mean it, go ahead and do it anyway. One is the life apart, the life of prayer https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/10-useful-sobriety-sayings-that-can-help/ and quiet communion with God. Every day your mind can be set in the right direction so that your thoughts will be of the right kind. The other is the life impart – imparting to others what you have learned from your own meditative experience.
FAQs on Issues of Spiritual Malady
It can also lead to other problems, such as alcohol abuse or other addictions. If you are struggling with alcoholism or any other addiction, it is important to seek help from AA or another 12-step program. We become so fixated on it that almost everything we do leads us to think about getting intoxicated. The mind and alcoholism are so cunning, baffling, and powerful that we often cannot fathom how we ended up intoxicated when relying on our strong willpower to stay sober. I am not a representative of AA and I do not speak on behalf of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Finally, self-reliance can be dangerous because it can lead to complacency. When people become too self-reliant, they may stop working on their program entirely. This complacency can then lead to a sense of entitlement which is extremely dangerous for people in recovery. Entitlement leads to unrealistic expectations, which often leads to disappointment and resentment.
The spiritual malady and addiction
We couldn’t understand why the people surrounding us could feel happiness or contentment, so we turned to drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medicating our perceived shortcomings. From our time spent feeding our addictions, we feel that the opposite begins to happen. Rather than providing a feeling of relief, we find ourselves in a perpetual “dark night of the soul,” cut off from any sense of spiritual comfort. This can seem a little confusing to newcomers, who believe that they only have a problem with food. They do not understand why it is being suggested they read a book they believe to be for alcoholics. It is our experience that the problem is not the substance; the problem is the disease of addiction.
Self-reliance can also be dangerous because it can lead to pride. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins for a reason. It leads to judgment, isolation, and a feeling of superiority. None of these things are conducive to a healthy recovery. Without a connection to a higher power, it can get quite ugly in sobriety.
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