Falling Under the Radar The other lesson to be learned about the misconceptions about being an alcoholic is that many of us (alcoholics) fall under the radar. What that means is that we (I) continue drinking and functioning (sort of) relatively well. Well enough that...
We have to keep saying to ourselves that those people are different than us. We need alcoholics to be so unlike us. If an alcoholic can look and act like anyone, they could be us! Then where does that leave us?
Never Forgetting I sometimes forget that I am a survivor of childhood abuse. And no, it isn’t that I am continually reminding myself that I am. What I mean is that those experiences are with me all of the time, and even though I am not consciously thinking about them...
There is a wrongness about you. You never fit in with other people. You are always an outsider. The carrier of a dark secret. Perhaps even a deadly disease. Always taking responsibility.
We don’t celebrate the daily achievements that at first appear small but day after day of seemingly small (dare I write, simple) accomplishments compile to become that one outstanding achievement.
And what is wrong with them, those wacky non-drinkers, that they can’t moderate? Surely one drink will not be the end of their world. The irony of me questioning the non-drinking of others is not lost on me. But those were the questions that the old me would ask.
Bravery and being brave is an interesting concept to me. It is a concept that is portrayed in movies and on the media as this brash, loud, and pronounced interaction. It usually involving males and lots of muscles.
When I had first started reading about the amygdala hijacking, I assumed that it was the amygdala simply overriding the more rational parts of our brain. It is more than that.