Willingness to Go to Any Length
As people in recovery we have all experienced what is required to maintain long term sobriety. Remember back to those early days when we thought it was just enough to be drug/alcohol free. We had every reason to take the steps toward sobriety because we get sick and tired of leading the life of addiction. By this point the relationships we had were all but destroyed. Often times we get to the point when we are no longer employable so we have no chance at salvaging a career if one ever got started to begin with. We disguise our disgust and self loathing by lashing out at others and driving them further away.
Pain can be a wonderful motivator for early change. Then the subtle difficulties begin. Once we have entered sobriety and have begun to feel the relief that this new freedom and new happiness provides, our ego begins to show up. We begin having thoughts that tell us that what we are being asked to do is no longer necessary. We lose sight of the fact that the very things that we were willing to get sober are vitally necessary to continue along this path. We begin to feel powerful and take credit that for things that we do not earn in the first place. By that what our Higher Power has done for us, we become convinced that we have done for ourselves. Spirituality and gratitude take a back seat. This is the beginning of relapse. If we have surrounded ourselves with people that are willing to hold us accountable they will quickly bring this to our attention. Unless we continue to remain willing to go to any length necessary, the misery and pain of our old lifestyle will return and relapse is likely.
