A time to love

In early recovery I hated myself so much that permanent sobriety had little, if any chance of happening.  Then one day, I realized while praying that I needed to accept myself.  Accept who I was, who I had been and who I was going to become.  In time, I began liking myself.  Eventually, I loved myself to the point where I could love others.  This is when my recovery ended and sobriety took over.