Addiction is a family disease, but we could only change ourselves.
=
Many of us come from severely damaged families. At times, the insanity that reigns among our relatives feels overwhelming. Sometimes we feel like packing our bags and moving far, far away.
We pray that our family members will join us in recovery but, to our great sadness, this does not always happen. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to carry the message, we find that we cannot help those we hold most dear. Our group experience has taught us that, frequently, we are too close to our relatives to help them. We learn it is better to leave them in our Higher Powers care.
We have found that when we stop trying to settle the problems of family members, we give them the room they need to work things out in their own lives. By reminding them that we are not able to solve their problems for them, we give ourselves the freedom to live our own lives. We have faith that God will help our relatives. Often, the best thing we can give our loved ones is the example of our own ongoing recovery. For the sake of our familys sanity and our own, we must let our relatives find their own ways to recover.
=
Just for today: I will seek to work my own program and leave my family in the care of a Higher Power.
Boy, did I need to hear that ! I have been having so many problems in my family lately. My brother developed a mental illness after coming off Methedone too quickly and has has to be on Psych Meds for that. He has had the hardest time quitting his drinking. It excalated after quitting the Methedone. I kept trying to tell him about the Program and even kept suggesting 30 day rehabs for him, but the more I talked about it, the more he seemed to drink. I now just put him in Gods hands and can only be an example.
I've also had family members who have drug/alcohol problems. When I first got clean, I wanted to try to save the whole world from the curse of addiciton, but I soon found out that I can only take care of myself, with helps from folks in NA and a higher power.
I learnt along time ago that the only person I could change was me. I also learnt not to expect others to change thier attitudes just cause I have changed mine........
