Overcoming Self-Obsession

Many of us came into the program convinced that our feelings, our wants, and our needs were of the utmost importance to everyone.  We had practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior and believed it was the only way to live.
That self-centeredness doesn't cease just because using has stopped...
The more we insist on being the center of the universe, the less satisfied we will be with our friends, our sponsor, and everything else.
Freedom from self-obsession can be found through concentrating more on the needs of others and less on our own. When others have problems, we can offer help.  When newcomers need rides to meetings, we can pick them up.  When friends are lonely, we can spend time with them.  When we find ourselves feeling unloved or ignored, we can offer the love and attention we need to someone else. In giving, we receive much more in return -- and that's a promise we can trust.