Feelings
Early in my sobriety I was presented with a piece of paper containing 200 feelings. I was shocked. I was only aware of three feelings; happy, angry, and horny. Thankfully I have since expanded my horizons. The list is reproduced below. Click on a word for its definition.
| Abandoned | Compelled | Exhilarated | Important | Poised | Startled |
rulesixtytwo 
Before I had a program, my feelings list was short, too: happy, angry, shame and worthless. Those were the only words I knew to identify how I felt. As a drunk, I didn’t WANT to identify my feelings though. As many of us did, I used the booze to numb any and every feeling I felt, because I didn’t know HOW to identify what I was feeling. I only knew that I didn’t like what was happening, so I wanted to blot out what was going on inside my head. The program has taught us that we don’t have to use alcohol for us to deal with what we are feeling. We now get to identify, cope and be with our feelings until they pass (and they ALWAYS do!). The program also teaches us that we don’t have to feel a certain way as a result of someone elses feelings or actions. We are responsible for ourselves, and ourselves only. In sobriety I can put on my big girl panties and feel what God needs me to feel at any given time!