La recuperación también puede proporcionar una comunidad
Cuando comencé mi viaje de recuperación, estaba plagado del habitual zumbido incesante dentro de mi cabeza con el que solo los adictos y los neuróticos compulsivos pueden identificarse:
R de recuperación y recorrido
Antes de unirme a SA, realizaba actividades con un objetivo enmascarado: encontrar o ser encontrada por un "marido potencial". Me estremezco cuando pienso en estas locas motivaciones. Mientras hacía el cuarto paso, mi madrina me preguntó si aceptaría la vida si nunca me casaba. Fue una pregunta muy dura y me vi justificando mi sueño de casarme algún día.
Diversión y Fraternidad en las convenciones de SA
La diversión en la recuperación era lo último que tenía en mente cuando entré por primera vez en las salas. Estaba en el fondo y pensé que mi vida nunca volvería a ver la alegría, y mucho menos la diversión. Me descubrieron y posteriormente destruí mi matrimonio y las relaciones con mis hijos adolescentes. Nunca pensé que 6 años después, redescubriría la alegría en mi vida y me divertiría en mi recuperación.
SA Is Where the Party Is
When I first came to SA I did not know how fast to leave after the meeting. I did not want to be there. I did not believe it to be fun at all! That was more than 4 years ago. Since then a lot has changed. I frequently crack up before, after or even during a meeting. There are some real jokesters here in SA Amsterdam. Especially jokes about recovery or the struggles we are going through make me laugh. But it doesn't stop there.
Using Our Talents for the Common Good
This morning I was praying. During my prayer ritual I received a message from an SA fellow. He asked me to write an article for Essay on the topic of Fun in Recovery. It was surprising to me, because at that very moment I was thanking God for my friends and for the fun we have when we spend time together.
Laughing at My Own Story
“If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it.” (AA 132) Such was my experience when I attended my first SA meeting in Manchester, UK, back in the winter of 2003. SA was still very new here, and there were very few members, hardly any of them sober. There was no welcome, no joy, no message of a positive and joyful sobriety. “And this is what SA is all about?”, I thought.
Camping and Fellowship by the Sea of Galilee
When Autumn arrives and the weather in Northern Europe turns damp and windy, it's nice to think back on pleasant times in recovery. I attended the regional convention in Israel in May 2015. It was a lovely venue. As the convention was ending, we heard that there was going to be an SA tent camp by Lake Galilee afterwards, organized by a UK old-timer and Israeli members. I signed up straightaway.
Discussion Topic
Do I help others to experience fun in recovery? Fun in recovery was the last thing on Mat’s mind when he first stepped in the rooms. But in SA he became part of the excitement around conventions; was pleasantly surprised by members wanting to connect with him; and came to experience the priceless joy of serving.
Editors’ Corner
“Fun in Recovery”—it sounded most unrealistic at first. But we kept coming back and over time, we developed a liking for meetings and for connection with other members. By working our program we came to see the positives in every situation and even started to enjoy life’s rainy days. We, who used to be habitual moaners, now actively looked about us for reasons to be cheerful and grateful.
Fun and Fellowship at SA Conferences
Fun in recovery was the last thing on my mind when I first stepped into the rooms. I was at rock bottom and thought my life would never see joy again, much less fun again. I had been found out and subsequently destroyed my marriage and the relationships with my teenage children. I never thought that fast forward 6 years I would rediscover joy in my life and have fun in my recovery.
