Monday 7/27/09 - "SPIRIT, MIND, BODY"

"SPIRIT, MIND, BODY"

The deterioration of my life due to alcoholism followed this progression - in this order:

SPIRIT

My relationship with God had been the main focus of my life from the time I was very young until sometime in my college years. I remember just before I left for my freshman year, a girlfriend and I went to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. It was a weekday and we were alone in the gigantic, ornate, and holy sanctuary. I was on my knees at the altar asking God to guide me as I went off to school. I had relied on God for direction, comfort, and hope for many years.

For the next 20 years, I forgot God, stopped looking to Him for guidance and help. I began looking for satisfaction, happiness, and meaning in every other place - in relationships, in excelling in academics, marriage, and children. God was sometimes in the back seat and sometimes not even in the vehicle of my life. This loss of contact with God gradually became a near complete separation.

MIND

As my estrangement with God developed, my mental state took a downward turn. Suicidal thinking was frequent. Low self-esteem and total lack of self-confidence was the norm. The lower my self-image plummeted, the less I was capable of healthy thinking. As the years progressed, my thinking became more and more confused and I began to frequent chairs and couches in psychologist and psychiatric offices.

BODY

At the age of 35 the progression had destroyed my spirit and mind and the body was next. Alcohol entered my life. Within 3 years, my body was a disaster site. I was 5'5" and weighed about 100 lbs. I was bone and skin, little fat - emaciated. I was unable to work. Alcohol abused me. I couldn't live without it, could not stop drinking.

My recovery occurred
in the reverse order.

BODY

Once I stopped drinking for good, my health was gradually restored. I stopped shaking. I no longer put alcohol into my body. I began to sleep, eat, exercise, and participate in normal activities that fostered a return of good health.

MIND

As I became healthier and attended Alcoholics Anonymous, my thinking began to straighten out. My mind cleared and I had some self-awareness allowing me to make healthier choices and decisions. My more balanced mind made it possible to ask for and receive help from a sponsor, a trusted counselor, and other recovering friends. I was able to work the 12 steps, restoring me to sanity and helping me learn to live in healthier relationship with others.

SPIRIT

As THE result of working the 12 steps I was finally restored to a relationship with God. My new found partnership with God is stronger, deeper, and more vital than the one I had enjoyed as a child.

How grateful I am for the restoration of my life.

Prayer Girl