My Alcoholism & Recovery

It took me a while to stop drinking. I went to alcoholics anonymous
meetings for a while and kept drinking, eventually I stopped and it has
been a few years now, thank God.

However during the time of slipping and sliding I remember someone
talking about relationships at a meeting. They said something about
being able to look after a plant first, before even considering a
relationship with another human.

So I bought a plant. Watering it this morning that thought came to
my mind. The plant is still alive and doing well. So is my relationship with
the person who lives with me.

I was a few years sober before the relationship started and I
thought I was doing great in recovery. Then I got into the
relationship. Boy, that changed my mind on how well I thought I was. It
was easy living on my own, working, (I was able now), and going to
meetings; then bang someone else had to be taken into consideration on
many of my life choices. It was not easy at first, and challenged me on
many level. It also brought up things, like my relationship with my
siblings and parents.

My relationship, like my plant, needs looking after, not something I
was good at while I was in the mist of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Looking after… A new concept for me, so that is what the guy was
talking about when he spoke of getting a plant, learning to look after
things, first a plant, then me, and now us.