Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.

Description of the compulsive procrastinator in AA Big Book

Mama_Cat's picture

Hi all -

this morning, as I was reading chapter two of the AA Big Book, I came across this description of the Alcoholic.

“He has a positive genius for getting tight [drunk] at exactly the wrong moment, particularly when some important decision must be made or engagement kept. He is often perfectly sensible and well balanced concerning every­ thing except liquor, but in that respect he is incredibly dishonest and selfish. He often possesses special abilities, skills, and aptitudes, and has a promising career ahead of him. He uses his gifts to build up a bright outlook for his family and himself, and then pulls the structure down on his head by a senseless series of sprees.”

What struck me so keenly was - if we exchange the words Alcoholic for Compulsive Procrastinator, and alcohol/drunk for procrastination/avoidant - I think this little passage would describe almost ANY member of PA. Let's try it:

“He has a positive genius for procrastinating compulsively at exactly the wrong moment, particularly when some important decision must be made or engagement kept. He is often perfectly sensible and well balanced concerning every­ thing except meeting deadlines or accomplishing tasks, but in that respect he is incredibly dishonest and selfish. He often possesses special abilities, skills, and aptitudes, and has a promising career ahead of him. He uses his gifts to build up a bright outlook for his family and himself, and then pulls the structure down on his head by a senseless series of avoidant, time-binging sprees.”

Anyway, just caught my eye, and wanted to share my thoughts.

Wishing all well -

MC

"[People] need to be connected to each other. Courage comes out of relationship; it doesn’t come out of willpower." Peter Block, author of Servant Leadership: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest.

(mc)

Thanks MC. I hope I can one day say, I am a "Grateful procrastinator" because it "keeps me on my knees- where I belong" as I do with my other issues. I truely believe it is not my "weakness" that I battle with , it is more my "SELF" reliance that keeps taking over. I remeber praying, "please HP give me anything else, but do not let me go back to the food, alcohol, etc. " Well, as they say, be careful what you pray for, you may get it, I never thought "-procrastination" would bring me back to my knees, yet at the same time, I am so grateful I did not have to relapse in my other programs for HP to get my attention.

I keep learning the same lesson over and over "God knows better than me", but as Depock Choprea says, it is "in the forgetting" that we stumble and fall. Just shring my thoughts.

wow

yeah, boy, does that fit well. eerily well. this does not feel like a coincidence to me, it feels rather like what we always say--Alcoholism, compulsive procrastination, they're simply 2 drug choices of an addictive personality.

but to read above, it's more 'avoidant' rather than 'addictive', altho it is both.

thanks!

----------
the touch of the master's hand: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1898#comment-27748

"fall down seven times, get up eight" - japanese proverb

thanks mama cat

that's a perfect description of ME! 

Never have an ordinary day!  - Pepperidge Farm (lol)