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Potentiality!

© Jo Murphy

Lately I have been wanting to stress the importance of sharing and caring in the recovery community. Doing this online can be an important aspect of inner healing and service work. There are many people who sometimes find it hard to get to a meeting. Some people can't face aspects of social interaction and mobility even to the stage of not wanting to leave the house. Panic attacks and anxiety are common in the first years of sobriety and for some they never leave completely. Other women can need support on a 24 basis. Again this can linger after the first year of sobriety. That is why discussion boards and online meetings are so important.

The recent discussion about antabuse has caused me to remember that people who are new to recovery may not understand that one of the most important tools of recovery from alcoholism (in my opinion) is interaction with support networks and self help groups. (Of which A.A. is one but not the only one.) There are some essential benefits available to women who can establish and maintain a web of support in recovery. Here are some of them.

• "Sharing Your Story" by sharing personal stories women often come to 'hear' themselves say information about their lives. Possibly this view of the situation would not have come to the surface with out talking it through or writing it down. It is a style of thinking where the talker focuses on "What Happened" "What It Was Like" and "What It Is Like Now." This form of self-expression clarifies for the talker some of the underlying issues, what works for him or her and the futrue direction recovery strategies could be taking.
• "Listening To Others"One can't talk effectively with out the presence of interested listeners? (Debatable?) By being an interested listener the alcoholic woman may come to indentify with aaspects of other people's suffering. By doing this she realises that she is not alone. Perhaps she has an AHA!! experience. "Hey? Someone else is getting through. Look at her she has 20 years up!" By doing this..... by listening to the stories of others - women can look at what works and what doesn't and begin to devise a program. A gentle, loving, self nurturing program of recovery that leads one along on a pathway to self actualisation and success promisingstuff!"
• "Sister Hood" Another benefit of belonging to a support group in recovery is the source of constant companionship that becomes available. As a woman recovers she will find that she may perhaps rely less on this companionship. However with support groups such as A.A. other 12 Step groups and those arranged by people with similar problems or their carers - participants always know that there will be someone there if the need arises. Women often drift away and come scampering back once the realisation settles that it can be an eaiser journey when travelled with like minded people. 'Being there' is what it is all about!

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