avoiding relapse

at today's noon meeting, the topic was relapse
as it affects the group.
certainly many of us have slipped along the way.

there are many excuses to pick up, but
rarely any good reasons.
whether it's poor me, unaccountability or
inability to resist temptation, doesn't
matter.

the bottom line is the conscious choice of
the drink over continued sobriety.
it's not mysterious, cunning or baffling!

our primitive mid-brain knows and craves
intoxication; be it for pain relief or euphoria,
it cares nothing about consequences.

the difference between acting on the impulse
or resisting is dependent upon our physical,
emotional and spiritual conditions.

in previous posts i compared it to a scale.
the more involved in examining and
improving my life, the better equipped
i am to handle the unexpected.

in past attempts, i reached a point where
it seemed i had "gotten it".
that was a dangerous stage; it led to
complacency, cockiness and a feeling
of being "cured".

that was the catalyst which started the
thought process of the most famous
mantra of the "got-it" stage...
"i can control it now"!

trust me, i tried and failed many times.
would i like to drink safely again?
certainly!

i abandoned that quest 5 years ago, thankfully.
so until the experts can devise a way to do so;
i will continue to do what has worked till now.

show up, own up, and grow up!