I just heard Ron Hutchcraft tell a story that hit home with me:

He said that one of his nephews decided to try on a dog collar that his father had.  It wasn't a regular one, but was one of those that gives a little shock when the dog barks.  The child decided to call out to a friend that was in the distance and the collar shocked him.  He yelled, "Ouch! " and the collar shocked him again, and he cried out in pain again, and the collar shocked him again, and on and on till he was just crying and sobbing, continuously shocked. 

Hutchcraft said that we are sometimes like that in some of the things we do.  He names some things, like patterns of anger that are countrproductive. He said these are things that get us into bondages,  we start out controlling them and they end up controlling us.  He mentioned some of the principles of the 12 Steps, without actually naming the 12 STeps.  I thought of alcohol.   We start out using it for this or that.  It doesn't really help, but has a painful result, but then we use it for the pain,, and it gives us more pain,, until we are constantly crying and drinking. 

He didn't say how they finally solved the problem.  I guess the kid had so stop yelling long enough for someone to get the collar off of him.  

Our Higher Power gets it off of us when we calm down and let Him.

love in recovery,

amanda