Today I welcome my friend Lily (they/them) to the podcast! We have a lot in common and share our passion for 12 Step recovery. Lily entered the rooms of our fellowship at the ripe age of 12, following an incident with their dad that brought up a lot of repressed memories and pain. Lily shares how the program supported them to move through deep pain and grief in the relationship with their alcoholic father, and how over time in recovery they were able to shift out of self-pity and change their perspective. Today Lily is incredibly grateful to be able to have a loving and fulfilling relationship with their dad. We also talk a lot about our personal Higher Powers/God. Lily shares how their relationship with God continues to expand and support them in all their creative endeavours.

Episode breakdown:

• In their early teenage years, Lily became aware of all of their pain that had accumulated over the years. They turned to 12 Step recovery as a way to make sense of and process the pain that had begun to negatively affect their quality of life.
• In 12 Step meetings, Lily was attracted to the honesty and vulnerability present in people’s shares. Like me, Lily had been searching for intimacy in the wrong places.
• In meetings Lily felt seen and accepted for who they were. They felt held and supported in their pain, which caused them to keep coming back.
• Lily used to hate and resent their dad due to his inappropriate behaviour in their relationship. They share how they took responsibility for themselves, were able to move through their self-pity and deep pain, eventually becoming willing to reconnect with their dad.
• I share my experience reconnecting with my dad a few years ago, and why I believe that deep down we just want to love our family members.
• Lily first resisted the concept of alcoholism being a disease. They explain how viewing alcoholism as a disease supported their healing and their relationship with their dad.
• Lily shares how they were able to surrender to their pain, finding the beauty in grief and discovering the powerful lessons their Higher Power had waiting for them.
• We talk about the freedom we experience as a result of moving through our pain.
• Lily shares an experience they had which expanded their understanding of their Higher Powers.
• We talk about our program and why everyone is free to choose their own concept of a Higher Power/God. 

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Book reference: Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi

Thank you for listening! If you resonate with this episode, want to know more about Lily's story, would like to know more about the 12 Step recovery program we are in, or have any other comments or questions, I’d love to hear from you! Please send me an email at [email protected]

Lots of love, 

Josephine

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