Going to AA helped me to see that there were other people who had problems that had found a way to talk about them and find relief and humor through that.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the importance of sharing personal struggles with others to find relief and humor.
In this quote, Carrie Fisher reflects on her experience with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), emphasizing how the support of a community facing similar challenges can provide comfort, laughter, and a sense of connection. She underscores the value of openness in discussing one's problems, suggesting that doing so not only alleviates the burden of those issues but also fosters camaraderie among individuals dealing with similar struggles.
In practice
During a recovery meeting, someone might share Carrie Fisher's quote to illustrate the power of community support.
I trust myself. I trust my instincts. I know what I'm gonna do, what I can do, what I can't do. I've been through a lot, and I could go through more, but I hope I don't have to. But if I did, I'd be able to do it. I'm not going to enjoy dying, but there's not much prep for that.
Over time, I've paid attention, taken notes and forgotten easily half of everything I've gone through.
I went to a doctor and told him I felt normal on acid, that I was a light bulb in a world of moths. That is what the manic state is like.
There's a line I have that our family was designed more for public than for private. But there are definitely some things that are only mine. I am someone who dreams at night, and you don't know what I'm dreaming.
You know how most illnesses have symptoms you can recognize? Like fever, upset stomach, chills, whatever. Well, with manic depression, it's sexual promiscuity, excessive spending, and substance abuse - and that just sounds like a fantastic weekend in Vegas to me!
I am truly a product of Hollywood in-breeding. When two celebrities mate, someone like me is the result.
The strength of a wall is neither greater nor less than the courage of the men who defend it.
The one perfectly divine thing, the one glimpse of God's paradise given on earth, is to fight a losing battle - and not lose it.
But we have been to the Pole and we shall die like gentlemen. I regret only for the women we leave behind.
I am not up there by chance. I am there by choice. And I know the wire. And I know my limits. And I am a madman of details.
We might not be back. I might be in jail. I might be anywhere. But when I leave, you'll remember I said, with the last words on my lips, that I am a revolutionary. And you're going to have to keep on saying that. You're going to have to say that I am a proletariat; I am the people.
An act of heroism, of extraordinary courage, the grandeur of it, won't easily inspire us to act in imitation, but it can inspire us to emulate its author. For that, we should learn what we can of the whole experience of the subject, the hero's life, as it was before and after, and believe that trying to emulate the character it reveals is one tried way to prepare for the tests that might await us and gain hope that our courage will not be wanting in the moment.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.