July 1

“Our leap of faith into the unknown in Step Two may have felt like jumping from the deck of a familiar, but sinking, ship…Although we may have flailed at first, as our panic passed, we found ourselves floating in the company of others who had made the same leap.”

“Recovery from Compulsive Sexual Avoidance”

I feel concerned when friends say they’re isolating to focus on their relationship with their Higher Power. While I applaud efforts to strengthen relationships with God, it was by learning to open up and connect with others that I started feeling and recognizing God’s love and will for me. I can’t see or touch God, but I can see and touch my friends. Hearing the empathy in their voices or seeing the love in their eyes are ways I experience God.

I once heard that only an addict would think the solution to loneliness and insecurity is to isolate. In beginning recovery, I had to disengage from unhealthy relationships and spend time getting to know myself, but isolation is part of the path of misery. Forming friendships with sober people who offered their experience, strength, and hope as I grew and changed was a vital part of my recovery. In time, I was able to offer that same support to others.

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I will ask my Higher Power whom I should reach out to today, and I will take action.