Got a letter today, which made me think. It was from a friend of mine, who definitely showed me a lot of how my mind works. I have an alcoholic mind. The kind of mind which can get my priorities all mixed up.
The reason I was thinking about this is that I remember a man I was very close to at the beginning of my own sobriety. He was a man, who worked tirelessly with bringing suffering alcoholics to this program and helped a lot of people get sober. He was also the man, who taught me a lot about the twelfth step and working with others. Yet, he got his priorities mixed up and got drunk and died from his drinking.
When I talk about priorities, I mean making something else more important than our primary purpose. The reason this happens, as I can attest to, is that one of my character defects begins to direct my thinking, rather than the other way around. Pride, anger, resentment, worry, anxiety, self pity, lust; the list goes on. I’ve seen people get so worried and wrapped up in a career that they lost their sobriety and everything else. I’ve seen others, who got so wrapped up in a relationship, which they couldn’t let go of, that they too lost their sobriety. I’ve even seen one man, who got obsessed with watching TV that he too lost his sobriety.
The alcoholic mind can be a hazard and we could be its victims. Eternal vigilance is what Bill said to us. I need to remember this. I love this way of life and know that if I keep my priorities straight and with the help of God and the steps I can stay sober. I was thinking about this today.