Alchemy Of Pain

When I first encountered the promises on pages 83-84 of the Big Book, I wasn't very impressed because I didn't believe them. Members with long-term sobriety talked of them lovingly and with expressions bordering on awe. From time to time, an entire meeting centered on that reading. I got stuck on "We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it." Well, I did regret the past, and not only did I wish I could shut the door on it, but I also wished that there were a chute inside the door that would send all my memories to the garbage dump. As for my experience benefitting others, I wasn't particularly interested in benefitting anybody but myself. I was the one who was sick, after all.