TABW Feb. 25 - Reading - Release With Love
Somerville Cares
My sister has found a Twelve-Step program to help her stay clean and
sober. Happy for her, I now wonder how I should behave where she's
concerned. Fortunately, through Families Anonymous, I'm learning to
release with love.
Sobriety is wonderful for my sister, as well as for those of us who
care
about her. But FA has taught me that her sobriety is more likely to
endure if she chooses it strictly for her own reasons. She will not
be
inclined to "stay clean" for anyone else.
Similarly, I've learned that I cannot pin my hopes and happiness on
her
sobriety. I love her, but I set her free to work her own program,
just
as I am free to continue my own program and growth.
Thus I release my sister from the need to stay clean to please me. If
she stops drinking alcohol or using other drugs merely for my sake,
she
will not be clean or sober. She will just be "not using."
TODAY I WILL release my loved one to her recovery and get on with
living
my own life joy.