False Pride

[janbear]

How would you define "false pride"? And could you give an example of it?

[honeydumplin]

False pride for me is this unhealthy and destructive part of self will running riot. It is what keeps telling me that I can handle my drinking, that I don't need help, and that I can still function. It keeps me from admitting that I am powerless over alcohol, and is the ultimate mirage which in its hideous form, prevents me from getting sober.

False pride is one thinking that I'm the cat's meow when there isn't even a purr. It is me buying drinks for everyone on payday, and being broke the next morning. Its thinking that my alcoholism is not detrimental to my job, my relationships, and my soul, when in reality nothing could be further from the truth.

One of the places that it is revealed in my sobriety is through a fourth step inventory.


vainglory... that we may enjoy... 12 &12 Step Four page 44
We have drunk for vainglory--that we might the more enjoy foolish dreams of pomp and power.

[MajestyJo]

Great share, thank you.

A great topic Jan, thanks for bringing it up.

False pride for me, is taking credit for what is not mine. I can be proud of what I have accomplished in recovery, but I am not the one who got me sober, kept me sober, and giving credit where credit is due. I wouldn't have stayed sober without my Higher Power, the people put in my path, the literature, the good orderly direction I received to get me to where I am in today.

I believe it is important to take pride in yourself along with some gratitude. False pride for me is thinking it was all about me. It was done for me and my Higher Good, but it is for the Higher Good of all. A celebration isn't about me, it is for the Fellowship and the people in my life, it is a we program.

False pride is me taking credit for 22 years of recovery. It is a one day at a time program. It isn't about the years, it is about the day and what I do in today for my recovery. For me that is making healthy choices, sharing with others, and daily contact with my God.

False pride is dishonesty and not facing up to reality and using other substance(s) as a substitute for your drug of choice. Saying we are clean and sober, when in reality we have other addictions like food, gambling, pills, pot, and just drinking wine thinking it won't hurt. I also found that I used my bed, my computer and my TV, to detach and shut down, because I wasn't willing to stay in today and face my feelings.

It is like saying you are F.I.N.E. when in fact it means frustrated, insecure, neurotic, and emotional.

For me, it also means the outside doesn't match the inside.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...0-quotes-pride

[LookingOut]

False pride for me is taking credit myself when I should be giving credit (and thanks!) to God. It's riding on a high and mighty horse, instead of serving in humility and love.

[janbear]

Thank you for sharing with me. For me also, its about taking credit for what is not mine to take credit for. Thinking I am in control when in reality I am not, God is in control. The opposite of pride is humility. A state of being i would much rather be in but much of the time i am not.

[LookingOut]

Don't we all struggle with this? Another thing I must consciously take to God in prayer each day. This parable helps:

Matthew 18:21-35
New Living Translation (NLT)

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”


It's a reminder of how much God has forgiven me of. If I am mindful of how much Christ forgave me, it humbles me and makes me remember to love and forgive others.