Thursday, August 27th
August 27th – Entitlement and Grandiosity
I knew what I wanted from recovery and did not need help from other sex addicts.
Resentments often create a sense of entitlement. Our pride or self-esteem may easily be hurt. In this entitled state of mind, with our compulsion activated, we may feel justified in our sexual acting out. By doing so, we may think we are “getting even” for past hurts. For many of us, acting out can feel like a short-term fix to our pain.
Frequently, our compulsion is fueled by deep-seated shame. This shame can lead to perfectionism, grandiosity, or overdependence on other people. Some of us also have a ferocious appetite for attention, recognition, or status. These character defects can produce conflict within ourselves and with others.
Often, we carry this sense of entitlement and grandiosity into early recovery. But by working the Steps and using the Tools, we begin to gain insight into our character defects and learn to ask for help in removing them.
Humility is a state of realizing that we are not in control and that we do not have all the answers. Through working our recovery, we may find ways of transforming our shortcomings into character assets, which we can develop into compassion for others and ourselves.
We become “right-sized,” neither grandiose nor self-deprecating.