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Daily Affirmations - Strengthening My Recovery


May 17


Authority Figures

"We realize that life today really is different than when we were children without a voice." BRB p. 73

The authority figures we grew up with were scary. They got angry when anyone questioned or challenged them. There didn't seem to be any logic to it, so we did what we could to avoid having the anger directed at us.

As adults, we often felt our bosses' behavior resembled that of our parents. The potential authority they wielded made us feel like that little kid again. We avoided asking for help because we expected to be belittled. From our experience and that of our friends, that was a very real fear because, like our parents, many bosses are good at pouncing on the weak. So, rather than risk confrontation, and because we became adept at figuring things out for ourselves as children, we decided that was the way to survive at work. It was exhausting.

We realized early in recovery that we wanted and needed to find our voice. But the stakes seemed too high to experiment at work. So we role-played situations with our fellow travelers. We practiced what we could say, or what we might have said. We gradually started to gain self-confidence. And when the time was right, we spoke up. The elation we felt when it worked was indescribable. We were becoming who we knew we could be. We were making a difference - to ourselves!

On this day I will practice finding my voice with someone in the program I trust so when the time comes, I'll be ready to speak up for myself.

Copyright © 2013 by
Adult Children of Alcoholics®
& Dysfunctional Families
World Service Organization, Inc.

Page Number 143

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