Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery have to learn to at least say hi to our shadow. Our shadow is those parts of us we deny, repress, and attempt with all our might to keep from being known by others and also ourselves. We can act humble, caring, peaceful, and concerned for others but if we dig deep, is it really true? What we have learned is that addicts use to live and live to use. When we come to the total realization that we need to be high to function we understand the reality of our total self-centeredness, and we understand that everything is all about us. No matter how well we hide it, it is always there. When we accept this we can at least say hi to our shadow and maybe then we can recognize our egocentric way of thinking. When we do this we become open to one day at a time recovery which isn’t easy. Perhaps we will even stop punishing ourselves and others. It takes much grace and much patience from others for us to see this. We are stepping into a new reality and perhaps we will be the patient and humble people we hope to be. Peace.
