I am so angry and short tempered the past couple months (maybe because I have had contact with my parents). I know it’s my traumas from neglect and abandonment as a child, but the Big Book says anger is the #1 thing that will kill me. I’m at the point now where I’m entering outpatient DBT immersive treatment (with EMDR and all that). I have been praying to HP for help to remove this anger for years and am taking all kinds of action steps…I work on myself literally every day! I want to live and breathe the Serenity Prayer as much as possible-that’s my goal in life! I’m running out of “patience for the changes that take time”! 
Advice? Feedback? Argh!!
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When I feel anger or resentment building instead of overthinking the program or relying on outside resources I get through the VA I return to the breath.
I practice many forms of circular or diaphragmatic breathing. Once I have reached a rhythmic and uninterrupted physical breathing pattern I pray, transition to a deeper meditative practice then pray again. I finish with asking myself if I’ve had a bad day or a bad moment.
Sometime I do this multiple times a day. It’s been powerful in my recovery and has allowed me to absorb the essence of the program and better utilize the outside resources I’m blessed to have.
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I like the feeling and looking within….
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That’s a really tough one Nancy. Sorry you are struggling with all of this anger. I also have parental resentment issues. I also work the AA program and pray for my parents every day. I’m not sure what your prayers are like, but I pray for their happiness, health and peace. I pray for understanding gods will for me and the strength and courage to carry that out. It helps…sometimes lol. Other times I still get upset. The key is I don’t let these feelings control me anymore. They may bother me at times, but they no longer drive me to numb myself. You are not alone
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Thank you! I needed that reminder! The forgiveness is not for them, but for me. Anger is only hurting me. 
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I don’t believe in a higher power, and I don’t pray, so I don’t know what to say about that. The only action I’ve been able to take that seems to work for me is just focusing on empathy. Anger, I’m told, stems from a sense of feeling wronged. So I try to empathize with whatever it is that’s making me angry. If that doesn’t work(which it hardly ever does) I try to do something nice for somebody. Just seems to help.
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Sometimes I’m the reminder, and sometimes I need to be reminded. That’s the beauty of this program. Hope you can be the reminder next time 
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Anger and frustration are difficult emotions to control. My life is full of situations that provoke anger/frustration - it could be over something trivial as a commercial that sparks reliving my past booze filled destruction to dealing with larger issues like being treated disrespectfully by my former spouse. After reading a ton, and I mean a ton, of books on the subject I found four things to be helpful: identify the feeling when it arises (both emotionally and physically), cognitively distance myself, put off my reaction, breath and pray. Oh, and I call my sponsor to complain. Stay strong and sober!
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I suffer from anger as well. I’m quick to flip out. When I get like that I call my sponsor and he tells me I have about 5 more minutes of being angry then get over it. Sometimes that works or sometimes I just need to breath and remember my past.
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Since childhood I wear my anger like a suit of armor and my words are my sword. I came to that realization doing my 4/5 step. I started a breathing regiment, when I feel the anger boiling over. That is one of the biggest defects I need to work on. Sometimes we make mountains out of a grain of sand.
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I relate to a lot of what I hear in this thread… something that seems to be common amongst those of us with the disease of addiction, is there’s a feeling of emptiness and anger and resentment over the past. Have you ever heard of book called “Drop the Rock” ?
I really dig what it has to say about the topic of resentment and anger.
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I have it on the shelf and never read it! I’m on it.
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