November 21 (73)

”Shame is a soul eating emotion.” Carl Jung

I still love the image of using our addiction to fill the “hole in our soul.” And as I have previously alluded to, I concur with Carl Jung that addiction enlarges that same hole, and shame certainly plays its part. The guilt and shame of addiction displace and destroy all those good, strong and healthy traits of our personality. We take on self-defeating attitudes and become our own worst enemies. We ruin ourselves from within, leaving only a shell of a real person left for the world to see. Yet this is not usually a permanent condition. I, too, felt hollow, like there was no true substance left in my being. Yet as I have discovered and work the Steps, fought kicking and screaming to let go of the compulsive behaviours and embrace the tools of the program, I have come to uncover my strengths that lay buried deep within my core. My soul can be tarnished or sorely damaged, but my spirit is strong enough to overcome even the worst of hardships. Through faith in my Higher Power, anything is possible, any life can be saved, even one that was as lost as my own.

Affirmation The soul can heal if given the chance, and my spirit is resilient enough to weather severe storms and can be rekindled once the skies clear.