Emotional Sobriety - The NEW Normal?, Part 1
Hello fellows,
Hmm – you might wonder? The new normal. We experienced a new normal with the onset of the pandemic. Local meetings had to close down; workshops, conventions, events, gatherings were cancelled. A new challenge and a new opportunity set in. How could we stay abstinent from our addiction? How could we gather while respecting laws and the havoc of the pandemic? Online – wow. A new format, becoming more popular, the only option for a time..... A new normal.
NORMAL shows up in the Book Alcoholics Anonymous (aka BB) 17 times – 17 times of normal, new normal experiences that Bill W and the first 100 shared with us.
What is normal? As per Merriam Webster, the definition for normal is conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern: characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine. Normal, typical, usual, routine...
What is normal for an addict? Pretty simple. I have a problem, I feel I am losing control, I go to my compulsion. I truly believe that, as a compulsive eater, I cannot be abstinent from food (and yes, I am open to discussion on white flour and sugar – which then named are substances).... yet I can be abstinent from the compulsion. The compulsion to overeat, undereat, restrict, purge and obsess over food and body image. The freedom from the compulsion is a gift of working the steps, living in steps 10, 11 and 12 and having a power greater than myself, that I chose to call the God of my non-understanding. God is. When I try to understand the "ungodly" things that happen on this earth, I question God, I question reality ...... I want to control.... fear sets in..... the cycle begins. A God of my non-understanding allows me to be free of the need to control......
Photo by Tara Winstead
The freedom from the compulsion is a gift of working the steps, living in steps 10, 11 and 12 and having a power greater than myself, that I chose to call the God of my non-understanding. God is. When I try to understand the "ungodly" things that happen on this earth, I question God, I question reality ...... I want to control....fear sets in..... the cycle begins. A God of my non-understanding allows me to be free of the need to control......
In January 2021 during the pandemic a fellow member introduced me to Friendly Circle Berlin, embodying the teaching of emotional sobriety. Both were new to me. Living in an area without local meetings, I was very familiar and comfortable in an online setting. The new pandemic normal had been my normal for a long time.
Dr. Allan Berger was my first exposure to Emotional Sobriety. During the Q&A he invited me to wake up from my sleep..... I was asleep, comfortable with the habits I had as a recovered eater, yet looking for an enhancement to my recovery. I was in for an awakening. I woke up – I woke up to unconditional love, the gift of unmanageability, the gift of the pause.
Ready to dive deeper into the gifts of emotional sobriety? In Part 2, explore the practical applications of emotional sobriety in our daily lives. Click here to continue reading.