G,
Thanks for you comments and concern. There is no measure to the help that I receive here, nor to the warm feeling of not being alone. As to the time frame to reach the doing great stage, one of my initial impressions during my first GA meeting was of the longevity in being gambling free that some of my fellow gamblers announced — this scared me, although their success is a great incentive, the fact that this is a life long program became evident.
I may have taken some leaps in sitting up barriers, but it was imperative that I take them. However, in following the program each step is very small and cautious. In my post to runninggirl, I may have come across as having an easy time on this journey, but I am well aware that I am vulnerable to the pitfalls and that my struggles only seam less then others. This knowledge was further reinforced today, just hours after my post, by the message in Kin L’s Reflection for the day email, Todays Gift. His email is copied below:
Have A Wonderful Day Of Recovery !!!
And The Start To A Great Week !!!
Ken L GRCG ODAAT
Today’s Gift – 09/28/2009
From:
"Ken Lambon" ken.lambon@rogers.com
Today’s thought from Hazelden is:
Reflection for the Day
"How does The Program work?" newcomers sometimes ask. The two answers I most often hear are "very well" and "slowly." I’m appreciative of both answers, facetious as they may first sound, because my self-analyzing tends to be faulty. Sometimes I’ve failed to share my defects with the right people; other times, I’ve confessed their defects, rather than my own; at still other times, my sharing of defects has been more in the nature of shrill complaints about my problems. The fact is that none of us likes the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, and the confession of shortcomings, which The Steps require. But we eventually see that The Program really works. Have I picked up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at my feet?
Today I Pray
May God keep me from laying out my defects by comparing them to someone else’s. We are, by nature, relativists and comparers, who think in terms of "worse than. . ." "not quite as bad as. . ." or "better than. . ." May I know that my faults are faults, whether or not they are "better than. . ." others’.
Today I Will Remember
Bad is bad, even when it is "better than."
You are reading from the book:
A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous
Again I apologize for rambling on, but all of this is a great help to me.
Best wishes on your journey.
p.s. In you message you advice me to "work alot, excersise alot, sleep alot, and eat well", why not also to eat alot ? lol
Larry
"Day Two is Still a Day Away" – With the help of a Higher Power, My 3G’s – God, GA, and GT, I will not have to relive a Day 2.
— 9/28/2009 1:56:25 PM: post edited by paul315.– 9/29/2009 1:44:19 PM: post edited by paul315.