Nine years ago today, I broke a destructive drinking habit. There was a time I couldn't imagine going a day without drinking. Life just didn't seem worth living if I couldn't drown my thoughts and drink myself into oblivion every day.
When the shame of being a drunk became overwhelming, I decided to stop. It was scary. I was giving up my crutch, ready to face the cold, cruel reality of sobriety. No more excuses.
My sobriety is one of the main reasons I'm always harping on "personal responsibility." It seems that too many people get away with making excuses these days, and I have no patience for excuses. And this is where I have to be careful. We all have weaknesses and vices, and at one time or another, we all need compassion.
Too much moralizing can lead to too little compassion. As I listen to people make excuses for their weaknesses (alcoholism, drug addiction, bad decisions, dumb choices, whatever), I think, If I could overcome it, why can't you? Stop wallowing! But I didn't overcome alcoholism without help. Although I chose to attempt it without a support group, I didn't do it alone. I had a compassionate and merciful Creator on my side.
