Today’s reading is from November 9, page 314 of Courage to Change - One Day at a Time in Al-Anon II. You can find this book under the “Literature” tab.

One of the things I truly love about Al-Anon literature is that it allows me to reflect on where I was and where I am now. Areas I’ve grown and areas I need to keep working on.

When my wife was an active alcoholic, I don’t know who became more deceptive, her or me. Okay, that is a little bit of an exaggeration, my alcoholic was far more deceptive but I was not completely guilt free. I felt if I was overly dramatic, she would stop drinking. If I threw a tantrum or made the world seem as if it were coming to an end, she would stop drinking. I now know that the manipulation game didn’t help my alcoholic and made me even more miserable.

Today my wife works her own recovery program and I, mine. I can’t say I am completely free of trying to manipulate situations to my benefit but I take this, like my program, one day at a time. Today I may have slipped and fallen into old behaviors but I know that this program is about progress, not perfection, so tomorrow is a new day.

As I will leave each post - If you, or someone you know, loves an alcoholic or addict, I would encourage you to find a local Al-Anon meeting to attend. This is your first step towards healing.