Comments on: Keeping it in “the I” http://whatmesober.com/2008/05/25/177/ “Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town.” ~ George Carlin Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:50:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: isabella mori http://whatmesober.com/2008/05/25/177/comment-page-1/#comment-124 isabella mori Mon, 26 May 2008 16:14:37 +0000 http://lastthing.wordpress.com/?p=177#comment-124 beautiful post, bill. someone once said, "anything that's not an autobiography is not plagiarism". there is great truth in it. we really don't know very much at all, and what little we know is mostly about us. here's an interesting point, though: while i agree with you 100% that "you should" rarely works, there is a certain hunger for hearing it. have you noticed that? at some level, people want to hear advice. i suspect it has something to do with thinking that, just like our parents, these people who dish out advice, care for us. but boy it feels so much more real when we just share our stories. all of this is an interesting challenge, btw, for me as a blogging counsellor. if you feel inclined to visit my site again, please feel free to point out where you feel i go overboard with not keeping it real. i can use the help! <em>Hi Isabella, Thanks for your comments and the compliment. I agree completely that there is a desire in many cases for a "grownup" to make our decisions for us. My personal belief, however, is that advice should only be offered after careful consideration of the specific matter -- seldom the kind that one finds in the midst of a meeting. Furthermore, I think people in recovery need to be guided in the direction of making their own decisions, so advice <i>per se</i> is usually not desirable. After all, isn't recovery "growing up all over again"? And, of course, I'm speaking of meetings, not consultations with professionals. Incidentally, I love the title of that book. As a student of Buddhism I know the hungry ghost reference from both sides, and it certainly describes the tortured spirit of an active addict. Thanks again, Bill</em> beautiful post, bill.

someone once said, “anything that’s not an autobiography is not plagiarism”. there is great truth in it. we really don’t know very much at all, and what little we know is mostly about us.

here’s an interesting point, though: while i agree with you 100% that “you should” rarely works, there is a certain hunger for hearing it. have you noticed that? at some level, people want to hear advice. i suspect it has something to do with thinking that, just like our parents, these people who dish out advice, care for us.

but boy it feels so much more real when we just share our stories.

all of this is an interesting challenge, btw, for me as a blogging counsellor. if you feel inclined to visit my site again, please feel free to point out where you feel i go overboard with not keeping it real. i can use the help!

Hi Isabella,

Thanks for your comments and the compliment.

I agree completely that there is a desire in many cases for a “grownup” to make our decisions for us. My personal belief, however, is that advice should only be offered after careful consideration of the specific matter — seldom the kind that one finds in the midst of a meeting. Furthermore, I think people in recovery need to be guided in the direction of making their own decisions, so advice per se is usually not desirable. After all, isn’t recovery “growing up all over again”?

And, of course, I’m speaking of meetings, not consultations with professionals.

Incidentally, I love the title of that book. As a student of Buddhism I know the hungry ghost reference from both sides, and it certainly describes the tortured spirit of an active addict.

Thanks again,
Bill

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