…And No More Reservations

 People who have known allergies keep away from the things which could harm them. My great niece is one of many children with a peanut allergy, so an Epi-pen is always close by, just in case. One of my brothers has an extreme reaction to bee stings, and must avoid them. My mother and my oldest son both developed severe allergic reactions to shellfish, after having been able to eat them with no adverse effect. They all know that strict avoidance is the only solution.

For me, strict avoidance of alcohol is necessary. It’s not a burden - it’s a relief. If I were to open the door I finally closed and start telling myself anything else, I’m flirting with having an extreme reaction - a return to the false notion that ‘this time it will be different’. There is no reason at all to tempt fate. Those who can enjoy alcohol responsibly (and I try not to think of that as an oxymoron) can do so - with shellfish, if possible! - without that relentless desire for more.

I have to recognize in my own behavior those things which get in the way of my true Joy, and avoid the triggers that urge me to forget how precious that Joy is. It is a “daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of my spiritual condition” (Big Book, page 85). I can have no reservation about that.

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