Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Gratitude Lists

When I visit the blogs of other people struggling to conquer the hold alcohol has on so many of us, I notice they usually will have either as a post in itself, or as part of a longer post, a listing of what they're grateful for. This must be an AA thing that I never stuck it out long enough to get to. I'm curious to know what gratitude has to do with not drinking. Maybe counting your blessings, and realizing that life doesn't completely suck? I'll have to check out my Big Book (yes, I have one) and see if it's in there.

Keeping this short, because I need to get to bed. Anyhow, I'll give it a shot.

Things I am grateful for today:

  1. That my cat didn't get eaten by a coyote (he was out really late, and we have a coyote problem around here, so I was pretty worried).


  2. That my client seems happy with the work I've done.


  3. That I won't wake up with a hangover tomorrow.


  4. That I can snuggle up to my husband when I crawl into bed, and won't have to worry about not breathing on him so he won't smell the alcohol on my breath (although we actually each had a beer with our pizza at dinner, so I probably do have a little still on my breath, but it's okay because we drank the beer together, and that's all I've had).



I'm too tired to come up with anything better.

6 comments:

dAAve said...

That sounds like a whole lot to be grateful for. Things that might not exist if you weren't sober.

For an alkie like me, who nearly died as a result of my alcoholic behaviour, I am grateful for everything, every day. By writing these lists, it keeps me "in the moment" and is like doing a 10th Step. I reflect on my day (yesterday) and put in writing what happened as a result of not drinking.

Unknown said...

It has to do with being humble and thankful for everyday that we are sober.

"Be humble or life will humble you."

Pam Jarnagin said...

Thanks for the clarification, guys! I DO have a lot to be grateful for, and it does help to be able to stop and think exactly what those things are . . . a mini reality check, so to speak.

Pam Jarnagin said...

Hey, dAAve, I hope it's okay -- I added you to my blogroll. If you'd prefer not to be on it, just comment here, or email me (see my Blogger profile for addy).

Scott M. Frey said...

For me, begin grateful has everything to do with my recovery. I have to keep my focus on the positive things in my life (not to say I shove the negative under the carpet and ignore them) or I will develop a very self centered "victim-like" perspective on life. Focussing on the blessings in my life helps me keep a real perspective on things. Not all the blessings in my life are always positive, but in the end, most of that what happens to me ends up helping me, pleasant or unpleasant.

Listing my gratitude helps keep things right in front of me in perspective, where they need to be. I never used to make gratitude lists. Since I have begun blogging, I have begun to make them more regularly and my attitude has improved a bunch!

Pam Jarnagin said...

Thanks so much for the comments.

I think I'm ready to get back to AA. I know I can't do this by myself. It's not working.

Does anyone know what a Surrender Group is? There's one that meets at 11:00 A.M., and I think would be fairly near my gym. My thoughts are that I could go to the gym, and then go to the meeting directly after.