My Duct Tape Life
A woman in the rooms mentioned that before AA, her life was held together by duct tape. i totally get this analogy.
When i was drinking, “It’s good enough,” (it never was) and “No one will know” (i always did), were my mottos. When i had a problem, i’d find a quick fix solution that would hold things together long enough for me to get drunk over the issue before i could forget about it. Then, when the next problem came along, i ‘d do the same thing, again and again, until all it took was one quick snip of scissors to make my whole life fall apart.
AA has given me the tools i need to reconstruct the foundations of my life, and while it will never be finished, i’m able to maintain my life and fix the cracks as best i can to keep my center sound and stable.
Posted on August 14, 2012, in Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholism, Lessons in Recovery, Recovery and tagged AA, AA fellowship, alcohol, Alcohol Insanity, Alcohol Recovery, alcoholic, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, Insanity, mental-health, Recovery, What i learned in AA. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
Beautiful. Inspiring. Thanks so much Al.
My pleasure!
Keep coming back,
Al K Hall
Had a good summer so far Al?
It was rocking!
Keep coming back,
Al K Hall
“Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.” Or, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I remember when those were your trusted and true mottoes. The problem was, “it” was in fact broken, and the bar was set so low with the “du bien”; well, while “the better” may be useless or exerting too much energy to achieve when “good enough” is okay, it’s not an excuse for less-than “good enough,” either. There’s another way in which “beer goggles” can operate, it seems. A kind of denial, saying “Nothing to see here! Everything is just fine!” when in fact everything is crumbling around one’s feet. I loved this sentence because it is really self-perceptive and summarizes exactly what had been going on: “When i had a problem, i’d find a quick fix solution that would hold things together long enough for me to get drunk over the issue before i could forget about it.” It makes me chuckle because it is just so spot on!
I am so glad that AA has shown you that to McGyver a life is not functional, and that you are more focused on fixing up and maintaining instead of allowing things to fall apart and then drinking to forget. I’m glad it has given you the awareness and strength to address problems as they come up, instead of trying to drown them in a glass. Your participation in AA has led to change that is incredibly remarkable, a 180° shift from where you had been, and I am grateful for it. I know you are more grateful, and that is the most important thing.
Keep on keepin’ on, my Al.
xoxo
Celeste
to McGyver a life…
Well said! A paperclip isn’t a whole lot of help when you’re out of toilet paper!
Keep coming back,
Al K Hall
So much around my business world is held together with tape, string and gum and until.recently, I realized I.was applying it to.my.personal life as I was fighting the corporates. Hypocrite much?
Have you seem the site there I fixed it? way too.funny. tres drole.
Quitting drinking doesn’t make all your problems go away, but it does make them a lot clearer. And it’s a lot easier to solve problems with a clear head.
Reminds me of an expression i heard in the rooms: Alcoholics have problems, i have situations. It’s true that the few “situations” that have arisen for me in recent months haven’t been any more pleasant than the ones i had in my drinking past, but at least i was able to get rid of them faster and more definitively than when i was using.
Keep coming back, Boat,
Al K Hall
i have seen “There I Fixed It”! It is hilarious!
Keep coming back,
Al K Hall