Misery Loves Company - And Drinks & Drugs Too

April 06. Hey friends & readers, Tuesday's gone & I'm still alive & sober. Each day a miracle, one day at a time right? So I was really so miserable that I slept & loafed around most of the day after being up all night last night. I am going through something medically that is affecting my sleep (if its not one problem it's another) and in addition to that I had recent spiritual damaging things occur between myself & someone else. Needless to say my waste of a day was redeemed towards the evening, I can be down but staying down is not an option. I had a great dinner made by mom & headed out to my usual tuesday night meeting. When I got there I was glad to hear a topic about somebody esle, one of the great keys to spirituality is getting outside one's selfish desires & affairs. I got an opportunity to share about the topic & also talk about some key things that truly helped earlier in Sobriety.

After the meeting I stuck around for a long (1 hour) chat with friends in the parking lot. Not having much better to do with myself and desperately wanting to feel balance in my life it seemed to work. A great suggestion I heard many times was surround yourself with people in recovery, especially when you are not feeling on top of your game. Wouldn't you know, it worked. I rarely have seen a suggestion that when thoroughly followd that hasn't worked out positively. So with my mind off the problems, without a drink or drug, I was able to bounce back a little spiritually tonight. Possibly enough to say that regaurdless of conditions in my many relationships day to day, I am gonna be alright. And I have to know that to grow spiritually.

So with my week picking back up from below the mud to ground level I can only hope it lifts from there. I had thought of a wonderful topic while pondering my status tonight, I'd like to share it and get some thoughts stirring. "Misery Loves Company", in fact if we let it, it will keep us from living spiritually through others. I have come to notice that negativity thrives in certain people and during certain situations in people's lives. Even in my own the past day or two I caught myself not keeping an open & positive door to things. People that are miserable often try many ways of spreading it. There is direct, or insulting or mistreating others. Persuasive methods are when someone is trying to move you into their negative frame of mind or opinion. There is also depressive ways of playing "poor me" in ways to try and get someone else to sulk with us.

The bottom line truth is that if we allow ourselves to get, or more importantly stay, into any of these frames of mind.. our Spirituality will decline & we will not be open to grow or let good things in. This is not myth in my life, it is simple fact. So the down & depressed state I was in yesterday needed a conscious correction, or I was to get the same results. If I have to live Sober & miserable everyday, one day at a time, then my existance sober is not worthwhile. That is why there is a solution, thats why the program I work & the 12 steps are designed to face the fears & misery and turn them over to a higher power. The people in general in the fellowships are positive because thats what doing the work the program demands brings. If sobriety & spiritual living are one of your goals, it teaches us exactly how to achieve both of them. If followed with heart & dedication miserable moments in life will be a turn off, and not an excuse to go use or drink. The program has taught me that misery loves company and it loves to use drinks & drugs to keep me coming back. I thank my higher power for the solution today, for the program, for positive people that have been there for me when I could not life myself up. Even if just for a day, I have today.. Good Night. Good Morning.. <3 Jimmy