Extreme Recovery

Extreme:  Excessive, or far beyond the norm.

"So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.  They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so."

This is such a de facto fact-o for me.  I'm the problem.  I make my own problems because I'm totally consumed with myself but if you point out my extreme self-problem making capabilities I'm going to argue with you.  Because you are WRONG!

This quote comes from the instructions about the best way to begin to look at ourselves honestly, and for many of us this will be the first time that we've done this.  I know that my stance when I began my recovery was along the lines of "This isn't going to work for me."  So I didn't listen to anything you people had to say to me.  I was different and I was special, very special with very difficult problems that your cute little sayings weren't going to be able to touch with a 10 foot pole, which is a pretty long pole.

My time with my friend made me reflect about how I interact with new people in The Rooms.  I try to be kind and welcoming and sympathetic and all that crap but I've also spent a lot of my time talking to brick walls so I don't spend a lot of my time doing that anymore.  I can tell pretty quickly when a mind is shut tight.  

Fine.  Do it your way.  What do I know?  I'm trying to find my car keys.