Love is like an elixir for some of us. The excitement of a new lover, the intrigue of exploring intimacy, the sense of release we get from allowing ourselves to become vulnerablethese are all powerful emotions. But we cant forget that we have only a daily reprieve from our addiction. Holding onto this daily reprieve must be the top priority in any recovering addicts life.
We can become too involved in our relationship. We can neglect old friends and our sponsor in the process. Then, when things get difficult, we often feel that we can no longer reach out to those who helped us prior to our romantic involvement. This belief can lay the groundwork for a relapse. By consistently working our program and attending meetings, we ensure that we have a network of recovery, even when were deep in a romance.
Our desire to be romantically involved is natural. But we mustnt forget that, without our program, even the healthiest relationship will not guard us against the strength of our addiction.
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Just for today: In my desire for romance, I will not ignore my recovery.
Relationship are wonderful but they're not more important than and can't take the place of my recovery program. I've seen too many people get some clean time, get into a relationship, stop going to meetings, etc. then they are using again. I must keep first things first.
