Equal in Importance

I had spent so long in the helper role in my group that I forgot I was also a person with needs, feelings, and value. I saw myself as support staff for everyone else's lives – important only insofar as I was useful. My voice didn't matter as much. My needs could wait. Other people's concerns took priority.

The simple truth shook me: I am a group member, equal in importance to everyone else. Not more important because I've been here longer or because I try harder. Not less important because I'm still struggling or because others seem more advanced. Exactly equal. My recovery matters as much as anyone's. My voice deserves to be heard as much as the next person's.

This equality principle challenged everything I'd learned about my place in the world. I had been taught to be small, accommodating, self-sacrificing. Claiming equal importance felt presumptuous, even arrogant. But it wasn't about thinking I was better – it was about recognizing I wasn't less.

In meetings, I practice this equality by sharing when I have something to say rather than waiting until everyone else has spoken. I express needs rather than always accommodating others'. I remember that my time matters as much as anyone's. This simple shift in how I see myself is gradually changing how I live my life.

Today I can practice treating myself as equal in importance by expressing one need or opinion without apologizing or diminishing it.