Where Are You In Your Spiritual Journey Of Recovery Today?

I was inspired today by this article on asking and listening to open-ended questions.

The article was a reminder that when we listen to each other with compassion, our program becomes more and more on the plane of inspiration. Compassionate listening becomes the medium to “grow in understanding and effectiveness.”

I adapted them for our group, Emotional Sobriety and Food. Please share your experience with them with the group.

Questions:

1. How would you describe yourself at this point in your life?
2. What attracted you to your particular food fellowship in general and to emotional sobriety and food in particular?
3. What helped you to stop eating compulsively?
4. What helps you to continue to abstain from compulsive overeating one day at a time?
5. What does practicing a program of recovery mean to you today? How has it changed over time?
6. What does it mean to you to be “living in the solution?”
7. How do you maintain physical abstinence, self-examination, prayer and meditation and practice the principles of the program in all your affairs on a day to day basis?
8. What does being a member of your particular food fellowship mean to you today?
9. What does emotional sobriety and food mean for you in your life today?
10. Where do you find the most inspiration inside and outside of program to stay abstinent and to continue to grow in understanding and effectiveness?
11. How do you share your gift of abstinence and recovery today, inside and outside of the rooms?

Program worked on the principle of identification and hearing our story in someone else.

I remember when we read the story He Lived Only to Drink in the AA Big Book, one of my favorite quotes was:

“I had been preached to, analyzed, cursed, and counseled, but no one had ever said, ‘I identify with what’s going on with you. It happened to me and this is what I did about it.”

In program, we learned in Step 5 that the healing comes from sharing our life story with someone who compassionately listens without telling us what to say, or do, or how we should be.

When another person listens with compassion, and validates our suffering, we become free to let go of the story, and take responsibility for our actions.

 

Stretch of the Week: Let’s try to listen to each other this week, without judgement, in a real spirit of love and compassion for our fellow man.

Perhaps we will undergo a change of heart?

To get over drinking requires a transformation of thought and attitude.

Please share your experience with compassionate listening!

In love & service,

Shira