'Tis the Season

Holidays are often horrid for alcoholics.  While the routine of life, with it regular, predictable rhythms brings the comfort of the knowable, the holidays are full of wildly aprosodical opportunities for misunderstanding and temptation.

If you are new to recovery and are finding this time really challenging, then I urge you to find other alcoholics in the same boat and hang on tight to each other.  You need the help, but so do they... so, you can all help each other.  Through your camaraderie, you will find some peace and hope during this deluge that normal people engage in... trying to make themselves happy by indulging in celebrations that exclude the original cause.

The Christmas holidays are miserable because they they are all about trying to be happy by doing more.  This is an immature mindset, but we must remember the rule of the 'lowest common denominator.'

Therefore, when we think of 'Peace on Earth' it really means 'Appeasement on Earth.'  We must appease the expectations and demands of those who will even purposefully misunderstand our attempts at love and kindness.  We offer gifts with the hope the receiver will be pleased... so as not to complicate things even more.

Now, maybe some of you don't have these problems.  Congratulations.  Keep it that way.

However, I'm willing to be that many more people have big plate of expected duties and obligations, bathed in a sauce of shame and guilt, roasted on the fiery coals of memories past.  Yummy!

I have lots of church services to conduct, which will largely go partly-attended because people are too busy 'celebrating' or 'preparing to celebrate'... so as to appease those around them rather than thank God for what the holiday represents.

As I got older, it all became more odd that we celebrated a feast for a God we did not believe in, just because of these expectations.  But, now that I do believe, it seems stranger still that buying gifts and hassling over parties has anything to do with the Birth of the Christ.  He was born poor, and we celebrate with displays of decadence.  Just weird.

My advice: laugh at it, don't play into it.  You don't have to mock the people to see the humor in their delusion.  You can be a good Christian without having to fall for all the panic.  In fact, you can be better for it.

If possible, resolve to be the source of peace for others.  You will likely encounter those fretting over their duties... bring them the message of faith and serenity.  It may not work for them, but I guarantee you will feel better.

Whatever you do, don't drink or use.  Don't let this petty stuff get between you and your true happiness.

The 'Peace on Earth' is found in our relationship with God.  that's all that really matters.