I am a Compulsive Overeater. I am in recovery. I go to meetings for food addiction and meetings set up for people of all addictions. I hear people introduce themselves as recovering alcoholics, recovering drug addicts and other things.
This week I heard the best introduction ever. My friend introduced herself as a recovering human being.
See this is how addiction works. We were all born clean and free and full of hope. Then life smacks us. Maybe it's abuse or poverty or neglect. Maybe it's rejection or abandonment. Life can be painful. So we look for help. We may look to family or friends or social programs. If and when these things fail us we look to something else to cover the pain. It might be alcohol, drugs, food, sex, shopping, gambling or any of a number of escape agents. They provide pleasure and excitement and take the pain away... for awhile. Then the coping strategies become a trap and addiction sets in.
In recovery we learn to let go of our 'drug of choice' but more importantly we learn to live life. We learn to walk through the ups and downs of each day without our blanket of comfort. We learn to accept our problems and work on them instead of avoiding them. We learn to smile and to cry. We learn to feel. We learn to be human.
So, really I'm not a recovering food addict. That does not define me or who I want to be.
I am a recovering human being.
No comments:
Post a Comment