Guilt....How do we deal with it?

Guilt and shame are words synonomous with our addictions. For many of us we drank and used to squash the feelings of guilt and shame. The alcohol and drugs, so we thought, allowed us to not feel these feelings. The next day though, those feelings were even worse than they were when we started. Then comes the vicous cycle of using again and again so that we don't have to feel.

What is the solution to it? First off, we have to stop drinking and using and put a halt to the behaviors we are exhibiting. Then we start on the steps of the program. Once we have gotten through the steps the guilt and shame of the past either completely dissapears or can be accepted in knowing that we have changed.

Even in sobriety we can fall back on our old behaviors and start to feel guilt and shame about the way we are acting sober. The answer to this problem is to go to our sponsor and be honest about what we are doing. If we can go to them before we start acting out situations that produce the guilt and shame we can be helped back into serenity.