Stop Perpetuating Faux Sainthood

Dismayed at the increase of people in recovery, who act like their personal brand is more important than being genuinely human. See: #EgoFag — fugi #AmeriSec (@fugitive247) May 8, 2013 IF THE IMAGE ABOVE OFFENDS YOU, KEEP READING

Can somebody please tell me who started the myth that people in recovery are expected to be saintly? Anybody? Hello?

**cue crickets**

Yeah, that's what I thought. So then, why do old-timers especially, seem to get put up on pedestals? From where does this misplaced idolatry come and why does this fallacy of holiness continue unabated?

It was only a little over a century ago that a handful of similarly troubled individuals struggled to connect for the sole purpose of, well... not dying from an addiction, one day at a time.

A lot has happened since 1908, but rather than rehash early recovery history, let's fast forward a bit.

If our original pioneers could see the recovery landscape today, what might their overall assessment be? Of course, this line of pondering leads down the alleyways of "Could Have," "Would Have," and "Should Have." Still, it is a worthwhile question if for no other reason than to encourage those of us on the path today, to examine our realities and priorities.

Yes, this careens broadly into areas which cannot and, really, should not be given credible voice only to those with arguable degrees of authority. I have a voice and I am not afraid to use it. Ready? Here we go!

Today, on what marks my 6,547th consecutive day (and a million nights) in recovery, here's only a smidgeon of how I see the overall faux sainthood equation:

• Time (quantity) ≠ Guru (quality)
• Books, speaker circuit, etc. ≠ Guru (quality)
• Service positions, sponsees, etc. ≠ Guru (quality)
• Certification(s) ≠ Proven Application
• ODOP (One Disease One Program) does not work for everybody
• No single recovery program is better than any other, nor are their practitioners
• Mode of expression, occasional swearing ≠ lack of recovery quality

So, what do I consider to be the hallmarks of quality in recovery? In all fairness, I can only offer my experience, strength, hope, and pieces of practical education gleaned along the way. Below, is a quick rundown based on the list above.

• All I really have is this today; I've just been blessed with a lot of them
• Yes, time permitting, I blog. If I write a book some day, it will be primarily fiction. I do not believe in recovery-related appearances for financial gain.
• Opinion: If one feels the need for recognition of their service activities, maybe he/she ought to look at possible ego issues.
• Metaphor for professional or educational accreditation... Putting a saddle on a hamster will not produce a horse.
• There isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all recovery solution for everyone, so who am I to judge?
• Territorial pissing contests over such matters are as stupid as having an all-out knife fight on an inflatable life boat.
• If you read this whole post and still want to judge me on the image, guess what? Not my fucking problem, sweetheart. ;-)

Brand What? Explorations and Motivations

A few weeks ago I said that I wanted to resume explorations of this evolving rabbit hole commonly referred to as the internet. It had been over a year since my site host went belly-up, rendering the earlier incarnation of Dopeless Enigmaniac, MIA. Blog-wise, I was virtually rudderless, not wanting to revive any of my older blogs. Still, I was happily busy with other matters which generally kept me offline anyway.

This hiatus gave me time to think between rounds of diaper changes and other aspects of Mommydom. Not so quietly, I longed to be blogging, mentally composing grand entries while obsessively knitting little things. The subjects entertained were varied, as is typically my pattern. Now that I can write a little more regularly again, there's this movement towards developing personal brands.

Personal whats? You've got to be friggin' kidding me, right? Wrong. Disgustingly wrong, from what I've observed. Deliberately developing a personal brand can be too easily equated with allowing oneself to be profiled, cross-filed, defiled... Shannon Paul illustrates this condition in a decidedly more eloquent and thorough manner. However, I like my summation too:

Labels are for soup cans.
Crap! There's a label on my ass.
It says "soup can."

So, is some disingenuous, carefully crafted personal brand in my future? Ugh. Absolutely not.

Do I plan to commit any form of Web 2.0 suicide in an attempt to sanitize my online presence? Nope. Why bother? If the only impact I ever make is not to be a phony, then I retain both my integrity and self-respect.

Am I going to limit my writing only to select themes? Hardly! The world is full of curiosities, beautiful and horrific, innovative and traditional, humorous and solemn, evocative and mundane. I intend to savor and relate as many of these experiences as possible.