I cut the idiot box out of my daily routine over a year ago but have found a loophole with full episodes and movies offered by Hulu and others on the internet. It’s usually during breaks in my business travel that I’ll decompress with one of my favorites; these include Lost, Bones, CSI, Fringe, and tonights’s topic, My Name is Earl (MNIE).
The whole storyline of MNIE should be familiar to alcoholics, it’s about a man who has made a moral inventory and is intent on making amends to recover his karmic balance. Similarities end there since Earl is neither an alcoholic nor into teetotalism, however the lessons he learns while working his list I often interpret to have great relevance in my own recovery. The embedded episode above is a great case in point.
Click “Read more” to learn some recovery wisdom by Earl.
Not to give the entire episode away with a spoiler, let’s just say that Earl discovers that sometimes one has to alter their recovery methods so as not to harm others. In early sobriety, a very black and white, no detour approach must be taken in a recovery program because relapse is literally around every corner. But as one matures in their recovery, spirituality becomes as important as not drinking and growth comes about by achieving much more than just sobriety. It’s not just the step 9 directive of making amends except when it will harm others, but instead practicing a balanced and flexible approach and that the end goal is not always about us.
Healthy relationships, charity, friendship, and civic duty are all things very important in my own recovery program and they are equally evident in AA . In all the programs, we learn not to drink first, then how to live gain, and then we should spend the rest of our lives learning how to live well.
