One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
What finally impels the spouse of an alcoholic to look for help in Al-Anon? One large factor is the need for reassurance, to know that we’re not responsible for the alcoholic’s drinking. We know we are being “torn down,” usually by the drinker’s own guilt and self- reproach. This has left us without a shred of self-esteem. We come in as nobodies — and we desperately want to be somebody.
It isn’t that we’re looking for approval and praise from others, but that we want the inner confidence that we are adequate and worthy of respect. We need to learn that we have rights as individuals, no matter how grim the home situation may be.
Today’s Reminder:
The restoration of self-esteem is one of Al-Anon’s prime functions. It doesn’t encourage a big-ego view of ourselves, but in helping us to see ourselves as we really are, we learn to sort out our good qualities, and on that foundation to build stronger, better personalities.
“I am grateful for what Al-Anon is doing for me. I am relieved to know that I can have a better picture of myself than I came in with, and that I must respect and like myself as a person before I can begin to grow.”