In the world of recovery "talk," a lot of clichés and concepts are thrown around. To stay sober, you need to:
"Change people, places, and things."
"Live life on life's terms."
"Take life one day at a time."
"Be true to yourself."
"Realize that your happiness is the most important thing in the world."
"Let go and let God."
And we even have a blog entitled, "Change your thoughts, change your life."
I'm not denying that any of these are true. But something in this list is not addressed. Is it an oversight, or do people often omit it on purpose? I'm talking about anger. Many who are trying to leave their addiction behind forget to leave their anger there with it. For some, anger has been, is, and always will be a tool they are ready to use whenever the situation calls for it, which is usually more often than not. For others, they don't necessarily show their anger outwardly, but inside they hold onto resentments from the past. And why not? "Of course I'm angry for what happened to me." But regardless of where it hides-in your hands, on your face, or in your back pocket-anger is like a metal chain that will certainly keep you tied to a lifetime of unhappiness. Anger will make it so you can only walk so far away from your addiction before it starts calling to you again: "I know how to relieve this anger: drink or use." Is it any wonder thatAlcoholics Anonymous, when referring to taking a self-inventory to see what could be causing people to relapse, states, "Resentment is the number one offender?"