No is a complete sentence, and it does not require an explanation.
For some of us, the hardest word to pronounce in the entire English language is no. We just can’t seem to say it, even when we really want to. Someone asks us to do something and our brain screams, “Dear God, no! That sounds awful.” At the same time, our stomach and our neck muscles tie themselves in knots because we know that we don’t want to do whatever it is we’ve been asked to do. And then we open our mouths and out comes, “Sure, I’d love to.” Saying yes when we’d rather say no creates stress and anxiety and even depression, all of which can drive us right back into our addiction. In recovery, if our brains and our bodies and our hearts are saying no, it’s OK for our mouth to follow suit.
Task for Today
Pay attention to your gut and say no when it tells you that you should.