"In our addiction, we were dependent upon people, places, and things. We looked to them to support us and supply the things we found lacking in ourselves."
Basic Text, pp. 70-71
In the animal kingdom, there is a creature that thrives on others. It is called a leech. It attaches itself to people and takes what it needs. When one victim brushes the leech off, it simply goes to the next.
In our active addiction, we behaved similarly. We drained our families, our friends, and our communities. Consciously or unconsciously, we sought to get something for nothing from virtually everyone we encountered.
When we saw the basket passed at our first meeting we may have thought, "Self-support! Now what kind of odd notion is this?" As we watched, we noticed something. These self-supporting addicts were free. By paying their own way, they had earned the privilege of making their own decisions.
By applying the principle of self-support in our personal lives, we gain for ourselves the same kind of freedom. No longer does anyone have the right to tell us where to live, because we pay our own rent. We can eat, wear, or drive whatever we choose, because we provide it for ourselves.
Unlike the leech, we don't have to depend on others for our sustenance. The more responsibility we assume, the more freedom we'll gain.
Just for Today: There are no limits to the freedom I can earn by supporting myself. I will accept personal responsibility and pay my own way today
There's a powerful message for me here. I used to always try and get as much as possible while contributing as little as possible. It ultimately made me feel dependent. I still can get lazy and procrastinate, but I earn my keep in life and in the program. It is liberating to be self supporting.
Yeah this one hits me this morning to Avid, i'm still using people to give me something i'm lacking inside, i haven't gotten in touch with exactly what that is because that persons not all that healthy for me in every way but she does give me something i feel i need and im using that LOL.
Otherwise I was , am a user i use people in the meetings to help me grow and learn and hopefully mature into a real man, but then again im learning from a bunch like myself LOL, most old timers are further along in there development but i have to learn who i pick and choose from thats for sure....
