AS Bill W., tells us in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, that when we are looking for an “easier and more comfortable way” to deal with our addictions is when we we plan to fail. Our need to isolate and withdraw from those around us can produce no good. If you want to get out of the hole of depression-stop digging!
In Depressed Anonymous we read and understand that those of us who had a “spiritual awakening as the result of these steps (12 Steps of recovery), we tried to carry this message to the depressed, and to practice these principles in all of our affairs.”
And as Francis tells us that “those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others” discover they are empowered by empowering others with a daily plan to live with hope and serenity. For us there are no magic wands waved over our heads that will produce instant serenity. No, it takes work and some time. For some it may involve therapy and medications . But best of all, it can include the ongoing support from the Depressed Anonymous Fellowship, in face to face encounters or online at SKYPE.
The time that we admit that our lives are out of control and unmanageable, that is the time that we begin to find a way out of our depression. And it is in the context of the loving community of Depressed Anonymous that we leave the comfort of our isolation and join with the fellowship of others like ourselves who have left the safety of the shores of sadness. “Our sadness, like any other addiction, is merely a symptom of some deeper compulsion that manifests itself in our need to seek comfort and safety in sadness.” How well I remember this symptom of depression, trying to figure out why I feel the way I do and then giving up hope that I would ever feel anything different.
Now,I find myself almost daily trying to give hope to others who find themselves locked down in the shackles of sadness. I have been doing this for over 30 years and hopefully will continue till I am unable. HOPE!
Continue to come to our website (www.depressedanon.com) where you will be inspired daily to continue working your way out of depression.
SOURCES: Depressed Anonymous, 3rd Edition. Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville.