“I’m Sorry!”

Blog post by: Alumni Relations Specialist

When I first got clean, there was this “old timer” I learned from in the rooms that had been around for over a decade. Any time he heard someone say “I’m sorry” he would say “no you’re not.” After he said that people would look at him sideways and thought he was being so rude. When they would question why he said that, he began to explain that when he grew up the word “sorry” was used in a negative manner. The word was used to talk down on someone or something as being despicable or pathetic. So when he said “No you’re not” that is what he meant. He would say you are not a sorry person today, you are a person in recovery! We do not realize how powerful words are when we say them to ourselves. “I’m sorry” is also a phrase we abuse when we are using. We say this to our families and loved ones over and over again that it almost has no meaning anymore. So here is some food for thought, sometimes we do not realize how much power words can affect thinking. Be nice to yourself!