I've listened to the sample of this song on Amazon.com. It sounds lovely; a little too country for my own tastes, but still the lady has a wonderful singing voice. It's definitely worth a listen. I may buy it once I get a chance and throw it on my playlist of positive music to play when I'm feeling down.
Music is such a powerful healing force in the world. I find it a great way to self soothe. Alanon tells us to use the acronym H.A.L.T. when we're feeling crazy before we do anything drastic. We are told to figure out where our feelings are coming from and to deal with our Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired feelings first.
For me, music can reach me for at least two of those feelings. When I'm angry, I listen to either peaceful music to relax me back to a state of serenity or listen to angry music so I know other people have felt the same way. I exhaust myself sometimes through loud, pounding angry music so that I can just get it out of my system in a safe way in a place by myself. Music can also reach me when I'm lonely because when I hear someone going through a situation like mine and I know that there are so many listening to the same song and feeling the same way, I feel like I'm not alone anymore. I'm a part of something bigger than myself and I can touch a version of the Higher Power for a little while.
I've heard so many songs on the radio about the other side of the disease. Demon Alcohol by Ozzy Osbourne, Hate Me by Blue October, Cold Turkey by John Lennon-- there are so many songs out there about finding sobriety and struggling for it. There should be more that are out there for us Alanon-ers. We have a unique story and way of looking at the life through the eyes of the program.
The only one that I can really think of other than this one I found on Amazon is Evanescence's, "Call Me When You're Sober". That song has been on the radio a lot in recent years and it's so easy to relate to the anger the singer feels when they kick the alcoholic out of their life.
Incidentally, I went to a Alanon county convention a few years ago and one of the speakers there sang a song about growing up in an alcoholic home. I still remember the way it brought tears to my eyes. One of the most beautiful things about pain in this life is that it often gives way to a creative side. I've met many singers, writers and painters in the rooms. It's a great way to make the things that we've gone through count, to strive to create some kind of beauty from our scars.
I'm a writer myself because I used it as a form of escape for many years. I also found my voice and my courage to speak my mind through the program, which I'm sure has given my writing a lot of its power. We have voices that need to be heard as we continue to rise up like phoenixes from the ashes of our past. Just for today I will be thankful for the struggles that led me to my art and the pain that led me to the Alanon program.
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