"Self-pity is one of the most destructive of defects; it will drain us of all positive energy"
Basic Text, p. 80
In active addiction, many of us used self-pity as a survival mechanism. We didn't believe there was an alternative to living in our disease
or perhaps we didn't want to believe. As long as we could feel sorry for ourselves and blame someone else for our troubles, we didn't have to accept the consequences of our actions; believing ourselves powerless to change, we didn't have to accept the need for change. Using this "survival mechanism" kept us from entering recovery and led us closer, day by day, to self-destruction. Self-pity is a tool of our disease; we need to stop using it and learn instead to use the new tools we find in the NA program.
We have come to believe that effective help is available for us; when we seek that help, finding it in the NA program, self-pity is displaced by gratitude. Many tools are at our disposal: the Twelve Steps, the support of our sponsor, the fellowship of other recovering addicts, and the care of our Higher Power. The availability of all these tools is more than enough reason to be grateful. We no longer live in isolation, without hope; we have certain help at hand for anything we may face. The surest way to become grateful is to take advantage of the help available to us in the NA program and to experience the improvement the program will bring in our lives.
Just for Today: I will be grateful for the hope NA has given me. I will cultivate my recovery and stop cultivating self-pity
Good Reading this morning. It is so easy for me to revert to self pity and blaming others for my troubles. I'm ashamed to admit that I still do this, but at least not so much. I am taking more responsibility and finding strength and courage I did not believe I possessed. This journey is awesome!
Hey Avid YES,one of my many failings always "blaming"without really knowing, for me,this started in the garden with Adam blaming Eve,Eve blaming the snake.....When I worked 6th and 7th step this was one of the first things I was entirely ready to get rid of and humbly ask "daily" to be gone.Like you I am getting much better,or at least my awareness is !!!Have a blessed and productive day..............
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
I agree with you wholeheartedly that self-pity can be a "trigger" or excuse to "escape" the problems that life throws at us, especially on the days when everything seems to be going wrong. I also agree that it is our choice to wallow in our self-pity or to get over it in order to recover. But it's easier said than done.
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