Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Sharing what worked for us is far better than giving advice.
Everybody loves giving advice, but no one really loves getting it. Advice often sounds like control, and we want to be free to make our own decisions. However, we can appreciate hearing what worked for other people, and we aren’t intimidated by shared experiences. It behooves us to remember this when we are about to give advice to newcomers.
Remembering how it was for us when we first came to meetings will help us know how to approach others who are hurting as we were hurting when we first sought help. Confusion, hopelessness, and fear haunt every newcomer. The way others enfolded us in their hope when we had none made it possible to survive one day at a time. It’s our turn now to pass on that hope to others. The real gift in telling about our experiences rather than giving advice is that we too are strengthened each time we remember how far we have come.
I will be available to help a friend today. My experiences are all I really know, but that’s quite enough.
Hazelden Foundation
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