AA Thought for the Day

I'm Peach and I am an alcoholic.

Grateful to be here and grateful to be sober. One of our little reminders I got tired of hearing when I was new was H.A.L.T. ~ Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. However, it's turned out to be a very useful tool for me. A lot of time when I'm experiencing one (or more) of those, I start getting twisted. Fatigue sets in, add some stress, and I'm a mess in a hurry. For me, it's a simple way to check in with myself to make sure I'm still on track, that I'm taking care of me. Most often, I have 'Tired' going on, and 'Lonely' a lot too. Even in a room full of friends, I can still feel alone and by myself if I'm not participating, not being 'a part of' the group. I have to work on the 'Tired' aspect, as I have health problems and tend to get run down quickly from overextending myself. Simple solutions to these can be ... if lonely, talk with someone. If still lonely, call someone else; repeat. Tired, take a nap, get to bed early. Hungry, eat something. It doesn't have to be a full meal, sometimes just a piece of hard candy is enough to get my sugar back to where I function all right. I don't get outright angry very often, but when I do...look out! But I direct my anger at myself more than at others, for letting someone or something "get" to me. For Anger, I pray for the person who is getting on my last nerve. Asking my Higher Power to bless them doesn't mean I agree with their behavior, but it does mean that I'm not going to give them rent-free space in my head. What I've noticed with myself is that when I've got one of these things...Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired...going on, pretty soon, I've got another one, then another one. They tend to snowball on me until I feel overwhelmed and ready to throw everyone and everything out the window and that's not a good place for me to be because when I'm twisted, I'm not peaceful, and serenity is nowhere to be found in that state of mind. So checking in with myself and taking care of these simple things makes a difference for me. If I've got those basics covered, I'm doing ok, and I can function pretty well (most of the time). Thanks for letting me share.

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