"The most heated bit of letter-writing can be a wonderful safety valve," AA confounder Bill W. said, "providing the wastebasket is somewhere nearby."
This is a delightful bit of advice about the right way to handle anger. Writing an angry letter is at least a way of bringing our feelings out so that we can see them. This is far healthier than the peculiar method of "stuffing" one's feelings and pretending that there was no hurt or offense.
But an angry letter, once mailed, can be more destructive than a bullet. We may live to regret ever having mailed it. It could have unintended consequences of the worst kind.
That's why the wastebasket becomes the second handy way to deal with our anger. We throw the letter away and let time and wisdom heal the matter. What usually happens under the guidance of our Higher Power is that we find a much more satisfactory way of settling whatever has happened.
If I become angry today, I'll admit it to myself. Perhaps I'll even put my feelings on paper. But I'll have the good sense not to go further with such outbursts.
Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
Words of Wisdom taken straight from a page out of my book in early Recovery.
When doing my first fourth step was when I learned this method of Anger writting. I had so much STUFFED inside me. For years I had pushed feelings so far down that when I sobered all I wanted to do was express all of them to everyone. I still have to express my honesty to people. Too much sometimes still to this day.
During the first few years of my Sobriety I hadn't dealt with any of the outside issues and they kept coming up. I had lived so much life in such a short period of time. WHen you remove all substances and you have laid yourself bare to the WORLD you will have all different types of emotions that come up. One of my Sponsors said I was like an Onion getting layer after layer peeled off.
For me I am certainly glad that I went on with Phsycotherapy as well as AA and my Pastor. There is no shame in seeking out further help from other sources in fact it is the intelligent thing to do. Especially, if you have a temperment that becomes out of control. Hyper or depressed after years of being off alcohol and drugs.
AA was intelligent enough to share with me the fact that taking medication or any type of drug right after Sobriety can be dangerous. However, in some cases medication is needed for some ALcoholics that suffer with Manic-Depression, or Bi-Polar. Bi-Polar is a serious mental illness and it isn't anything to ignore. Or just grab and say "YEP," that's me I am hyper and depressed. It goes past the normal rate of both. Please check with a good HEALTH PROFESSIONAL don't diagnose yourself.
Mental illness such as MAnic Depression, Depression, and Scitzo, ADD, ADHD are all serious mental health problems. They can cause extreme anger and rage in some cases if left untreated.
The reason I know so much about this is because I suffer from Co-Occuring disorders like Patty Duke-Astin and many others. We are not a rarity but we are 1 in 4 women, men, and children, in the world today.
