The Good New Days

Matthew 9: 17 People do not put new wine into into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.

Commentary:

One prevailing sign I have witnessed in addicts that never achieve long term sobriety is their unwillingness to change their faulty attitudes and beliefs. Common statements often made by the addict who is unwilling to change are “This is how I have always done it and that will never change” or “I wish it could be like the old days”. The problem for addicts who stay stuck in “the way they have always done it” or “Wishing it could be like the good old days”, they will try to put the new wine skins, i.e. step work, into the old wine skins, i.e. how I have always done it in the good old days (examples: never ask for help, lose my temper, never forgive, go drinking all night,work too much, eat too much, etc.), and the new wine of step work spills out. Without the new wine of step work, the addict’s life becomes out of control, bursting at the seams, and led into ruin. One of the most immediate signs of sobriety in the addict is their change in attitude towards others and life in general. The sober addict will be more patient when things don’t go their way, more empathetic and forgiving when mistakes are made or feelings hurt, less irritable, and more giving of their time and resources. These healthy changes in attitude developed through the step work is the new wineskin, replacing the old wineskin of diseased attitudes that allows the step work to have its effect, and the addict’s life is preserved, more manageable, and more prosperous. This is the good new days!