Rock Bottom

Must we hit rock bottom?  Quite honestly that is not a question that can be answered with complete certainty.  Does it help to be hurting big time?  Absolutely, yes!  I do my best to steer clear of controversy even though it is helpful to be controversial in the marketing world.  Addiction and alcoholism are contradictory human challenges.  Disease or not a disease?  Bottom or not?  God or not?  Spirituality or not?  AA cult or fellowship?  You name it there are tons of issues out there to choose sides from.

That is not the point of this.  Here is the truth, people change in two ways.  They either are running from pain or they are heading towards pleasure.  Yet in addiction or alcoholism there is typically a pain point to push us along.  Just enough pain for us to hit our knees and say that is it, that is enough, I can no longer do this.  There are many times that I look back at my life and think how grateful I am for the pain that lead me to recovery.  It sounds crazy but I had an advantage, I was sent to prison!

My two youngest son's Liam and Seamus probably ten years ago or so!

What?  Yes, being sent to prison saved my life, it made my life!  I had no idea that I could attend college, I could not pass ninth grade English, or tenth, eleventh or twelfth!  Truth, I never passed an English class in High School.  I remember my first paper that was due at The Junior College of Albany.  I had never written a paper, well except the one my mother helped me with in sixth grade. We pasted these cool pictures on it and put it in a plastic binder.  So that is what I did for a history paper I was writing.  Well, I must admit I was a bit embarrassed when the professor made a point to point out to the class the wonderful coloring job I did!

So yes, I had the advantage of great pain, quite a bottom to be blessed with.  Spending three years in prison.  It took me a while to finally make the commitment to recover.  I am so grateful I did.  Must you hit bottom?  No, you need to have enough pain in your life that you want more of what life has to offer.  You can wait and run from the pain or you can choose life and focus on the blessings of life.  Focus on what you want to be, do and have in this world!  Pain is optional, of course it can be optimal but why wait till you are forced to surrender?  Life is too good to waste.  Life is gooooooooood!

Go, Go, Go…

Dan 🙂