Being hungover sucks.
It's as close to the phenomenon of craving as you can get without a drink in your hand. We wake up with alcohol still coursing through our veins and promise everyone around us that last drink was our last drink. We mean it, too.
Until about noon.
And most of us don't even realize what's happening. Call it hair of the dog. Call it curing the hangover. Call it whatever you want. Our loved ones usually called it broken promises and lies.
As this becomes a regular part of our lives, dishonesty starts to feel normal. We lie to other people, then we lie to ourselves. The excuses get bigger. The truth gets smaller. Respect disappears. We sink lower, become more isolated, and eventually we're the only ones left who believe our own bag of bull crap.
Step Six asks us to go in the opposite direction. It asks us to become willing to let go of the things that keep us sick. To stop defending our defects. To stop explaining away our behavior. To stop treating every consequence like it came out of nowhere.
One day at a time, we try to line ourselves up with a Higher Power and become willing to have these defects removed. We learn to face life on life's terms, whether we like the terms or not. No more alibis. No more magic tricks. No more pretending that tomorrow will somehow be different if we keep doing the same things today.
And here's the good news is it gets easier. It really does.
What excuse was hardest for you to let go of in sobriety?
