Sorting out feelings

Reflection for the Day

In our first weeks or months in the program, our shaky emotional condition sometimes affects our feelings toward old friends and family. For many of us, these relationships heal quickly in the initial stages of our recovery. For others, a time of “touchiness” seems to persist; now that we’re no longer drinking or using other substances, we have to sort out our feelings about spouses, children, relatives, employers, fellow workers, and even neighbors. Experience in the program over the years has taught me that we should avoid making important decisions early in our recovery—especially emotionally charged decisions about people. Am I becoming better equipped to relate maturely to other people?

Today I Pray

May my Higher Power help me through the edginess, the confusion of refeeling and rethinking my relationships, the getting-it-all-together stages of my recovery. May I not rush into new relationships or new situations that demand an investment of my emotions—not yet.

Today I Will Remember

No entangling alliances too soon.

from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People