Russell Brand? Are You Serious?

I am reading Recovery - Freedom From Our Addictions, by Russell Brand.

It's blowing my mind.

I am not currently addicted to anything - except self-loathing. A sense of unworthiness. What attracted me to the book was the concept that anything can be an addiction - including low self-esteem.

Brand explains AA's 12 step program - which he is intimately acquainted with - from his own perspective and his own experiences. Step by step. Brand is a drug addict, an alcoholic, a sex addict, and has all kinds of problems with self-image.

He starts by re-interpreting the God thing. There is a lot of God in AA's program - something which immediately makes me uncomfortable. He interprets God as your own higher self, your elevated consciousness after you have identified and, hopefully, transcended your weaknesses/warped thought processes. Although, he does emphasize that the process is indeed day by day, for the rest of your life.

The core of Brand's message is that our real selves are buried under the self we have created, and that fact is causing us great pain, which leads to addictions/ cyclical destructive behavior. The self we have created is based on false perceptions and bad experiences, but we keep defaulting to the thought processes of that false self and we keep failing. So you have to identify the thought processes that drive you to your addictions. And then change them.

He gives examples from his own life, some on such a petty level that I strongly identify with them.

His wife was pregnant, she asked to use the car to get to a doctor's appointment. Brand said yes and took a cab to a business meeting. And along the way was whining in his head about how inconvenient the situation was for him. Shit, man - I do that all the time. Selfish, whiny behavior in situations where I have a chance to be a saint. The point is to examine your reaction/thoughts and try to short circuit them next time around.

He talks about how he can be sitting quietly, comfortably, and happily at home............until his mind sabotages his peace with worry and imagined bad situations until there is no more peace. I do that all the time.

There are a lot more heavier situations and discussions in the book than what I chose to highlight. There is a lot of meat here. And Brand brings his unique perspective to it all. Plus he makes you laugh along the way.

For reasons I have not fully articulated here, this book is really resonating with me. I have been focusing on the thoughts in my head since the day I started reading it. Focusing on them and dissecting them and making a mental note to do better. His book is the inspiration behind the post I recently wrote about my Dad.

Once again, my mind is vibrating at the speed of thought, with hope, and good intentions to make the changes that will make my life better. Using the tools Brand has placed within reach.

I'll give it a shot.

And I hear you saying "But Joe - what about The Four Agreements? What about Eckhart Tolle? What about James Clear? What about.................."

I know.

I know.