Today it’s time for the tenth in Year of Living Sober’s series of 12 Dipsomaniac Declarations.
Here’s Number Ten:
As a Dipsomaniac I express myself in the moment.
Like the rest of YOLS’ DDs number 10 is inspired by the corresponding Alcoholics Anonymous step. AA’s step number 10 is:
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Why the AA step doesn’t work for dipsomaniacs.
‘Personal inventory’ is a ‘too fancy way of saying something which can be simple’. What about simply ‘be honest‘?
Always.
Besides I don’t think it’s very healthy to think of ourselves as some sort of factory where ‘good’ and ‘bad’ behaviours are stored and dispensed by an unreliable (which is a negative way of referring to the changeable nature of us ‘adaptable’ humans) distribution manager.
While I think it is very healthy to be humble, and to never pretend we know more than we do—especially about stuff we ain’t had diddly squat experience with—I don’t like this idea of guilting ourselves into confession. Reeks of doing religious penance or something like that.
What IS healthy is to be present and to acknowledge what is real for you NOW.
Maybe it’s my complete reverence for nature—and watching how things have a way of working themselves out when you remove your opinion about how they should go—but why not just say what’s on your mind; what’s really on your mind.
Then, based on your body language, personal history and tone of voice (among many other signs of truth/lie telling), the other person is going to make up their own mind whether you’re being truthful or not anyway.
But that’s just how I feel today. Maybe I’ll feel differently, in the now-moment, tomorrow?
My name is Ben and I’m a dipsomaniac.
Today is Day 343 of my year of living sober.
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Little Booze Joke
A cat walks into a bar and says, “Give me a glass of your cheapest white wine.” The bartender starts pouring the cat’s drink and says, “Are you sure you want the cheapest? To be honest this stuff tastes like, well, cat’s piss.” The cat grins and starts slurping from the glass before replying, “That’s okay, I’m on a detox. But I’m allowed to drink my own urine.”
How about you? Do you keep a personal inventory of moral/immoral behaviour? Love to get your comment.
