An Altered Spirit
The Twelve Steps and Ebenezer Scrooge
by
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Scrooge preferred the familiar darkness to the unfamiliar light. He feared looking at himself. He knew deep down that his own unmanageability had led to the heaviness of spirit he constantly felt and the realization that he had incessant regrets. He had buried himself in his work, his wealth, his gain. It made him feel powerful, and it protected him from intimacy. He didn’t have to face his own feelings. In this way, he “fixed” his pain and sorrow, but all the money and power in the world wouldn’t work for him any longer. When Scrooge wondered what business brought the spirit, he was met with a direct answer. None of the spirits seem to be codependent in this story. “Your welfare!” said the Ghost. Scrooge thought a good night’s sleep would be of greater benefit to him. We always think we know best, don’t we? In all honesty, what we knew about living brought us to our knees. I’m guessing this book isn’t going to attract a lot of nonaddicts. Just saying. The Spirit, sensing his thoughts, responded, “Your reclamation, then! Take heed!” Scrooge relented. He touched the Spirit’s hand and was transported back. “He was conscience of a thousand odors floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long, long forgotten.” “Your lip is trembling,” said the Ghost. “And what is that upon your cheek?” *** It is said that in addiction we lose our capacity to feel human. We also lose the ability to love and be loved. “Strange to have forgotten it for so many years!” observed the Ghost. Isn’t it strange to have allowed the thing we “fixed” on to rob us of our joy and hope? Extinguishing the light with the cap? At first, the thing we “fixed” on brings us relief. We love it, and we do it as often as we can. Soon, we lose the ability to stop doing it even when it no longer provides us with the relief it once did. We lie to do it, we cheat and steal to do it, and we torpedo relationships to do it. The promise of relief from our pain and emptiness calls us back like the Sirens in The Odyssey. We are powerless.
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About the Book
While in the throes of addiction, Anna Fruehling felt hopeless, afraid, lonely, and ashamed. In short, Anna was spiritually dead, just like the fictional character, Ebenezer Scrooge, an addict who only thought of money and was driven by impulse to constantly seek more. In a creative presentation, Anna compares the twelve steps of addiction recovery with the characters of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, a timeless tale that has both haunted and buoyed her since she began her recovery in fellowship on March 19, 1989. With the intent of highlighting the power of each of the twelve steps interlaced with valuable spiritual principles, Anna leads others through Scrooge’s internal struggles as Marley reminds him that “these are the chains you forged in life,” introduces him to three ghosts, and provides him with hope that he can escape his fate and become all his higher power intends him to be. An Altered Spirit is a love story and gratitude offering that relies on a timeless tale to help others view the twelve-step process to recovery in a new way to ultimately realize a transformed life. “An Altered Spirit is a very powerful book to be read by anyone knowing they have an addiction, thinking maybe they have an addiction, thinking they do not have an addiction, that maybe a loved one has an addiction or not. It is a profound story of a woman’s journey from hell and back. It is honest, upfront, plain, simple and clear. Please read it.” —Bitten Jonsson, world-renowned Sugar / Food Addiction Educator
About the Author
Anna Fruehling has been clean since March 19, 1989, and works as a sugar / food addiction specialist. The mother of three resides with her husband. This is her first book.