“When you and I begin to work on our life’s journey and start to make this list of people we have resentments against, and begin to forgive them, then this is the beginning of my making things right in our life. You might now be feeling better for the first time in your life as you continue to make a conscious effort to take responsibility for your sadness. You realize the effort to take responsibility for your sadness. You realize that you no longer want to stay depressed but instead are willing to risk feeling better (differently). This is taking the risk of being willing to change.
When a person stops smoking there is a residual craving for nicotine, and the craving is most painful for the first weeks after quitting the addiction. Gradually over time, and due to being able to say no to the impulse to smoke you feel stronger and so the painful withdrawal becomes less intense. The same applies to the addiction of depression in that at first it’s sad thoughts, but with time and working our Twelve Steps and our active involvement with the fellowship of Depressed Anonymous we have the strength to say no to these sad thoughts and begin to choose hope and serenity instead,.”
Source: Depressed Anonymous, 3rd edition. (2011) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville.