Overheard from a friend a few weeks ago, “My SpirMal went shopping today!” That caught my attention…SpirMal? What is that? I was quickly educated… SpirMal, as in, short for Spiritual Malady. Got it. I might not have known the term but I sure know something about spiritual malady. Restless, irritable, discontented. Not quite sure where I want to be but certain it isn’t where I currently am, and moreover, just generally annoyed. An old friend of mine described the untreated alcoholic personality as ‘slightly unhappy all the time.’ Kind of describes me the last few days… Seriously, has anyone else ever pondered why in the world Starbucks doesn’t have a separate Frappuccino line?? Why should we ‘black coffee with room’ loyalists need be tortured with those selfish, entitled frozen drink orderers? Does this look like Dairy Queen?! If you can relate to the above, or some variation, you just might know SpirMal too! Welcome! And congrats! I learned through the recovery process that I drink essentially for the effect produced. Well the truth is I have done a lot for the effect produced, in order to change the way I feel, to treat my SpirMal. Shopping is certainly on the list. Ever heard of a little retail therapy? But there’s also binging on Netflix, eating sugar, sugar and more sugar… The list goes on and on. Yesterday I received a text from an old friend, connecting me with a young woman struggling with her sobriety. He apologized for “bothering me” stating, “I know you’re busy.” Bothering me?? Not a chance! I thanked him and called the newcomer immediately. In truth, I had been praying for someone to help. Lately, it has seemed that life is coming at me full blast! When that is my perception of reality, I know it’s time to get busy. For I am clear that my SpirMal is alive and well, and that my very life, as a woman in recovery, depends upon helping others by carrying the lifesaving message to them that was, once upon a time, carried so freely to me. Does my SpirMal scream and yell and demand its’ way and my attention? Sure, sometimes it does. But I am beyond grateful of the awareness of not only the common problem but the common solution. Not a week later I found myself in a parking lot outside a coffee shop, this time not complaining about what other people were ordering, but holding hands with that newcomer, guiding her through making a decision that would forever alter the course of her life. Thank you SpirMal for pushing me back into the solution. I am perfectly broken and uniquely qualified. TYG! Marsha Stone, CEO BRC Recovery