from "Twenty-Four Hours a Day" - HAZELDEN
"People often ask what makes the A.A. program work. One of the answers is that A.A. works because it gets people away from themselves as the center of the universe. And it teaches them to rely more on the fellowship of others and on strength from God. Forgetting ourselves in fellowship, prayer, and working with others is what makes the A.A. program work. Are these things keeping me sober?"
"People often ask what makes the A.A. program work. One of the answers is that A.A. works because it gets people away from themselves as the center of the universe. And it teaches them to rely more on the fellowship of others and on strength from God. Forgetting ourselves in fellowship, prayer, and working with others is what makes the A.A. program work. Are these things keeping me sober?"
So far, so good. I learned how to stop drinking in A.A. I had tried before, but I just could not stop no matter how much I wanted or how much I tried. After stopping the booze, I decided to "let go" of my bar life. That's where all of my friends were. So I basically traded my bar friends for A.A. friends. The fellowship in A.A. is crucial to my sobriety at this point in my life. Yet once again, I find myself isolating because of my perceptions of others. I haven't stopped any meetings, but I do have to begin working on this major character defect that has affected me all of my life.
2 comments:
Isolation has nothing with the kind of, or quality of friends. It is a character defect resulting from low self esteem. I think Dave has addressed this issue in a brave way, embracing it instead of running away from it. Old habits/ways are hard to break.
I used to go to bars with my Big Book. Brilliant huh? I met my wife in a bar when I slipped in 1992. Told her I was an alcoholic in the process of relapse. A very long painful decent into hell, 9 years to be exact. I refused to admit there was wisdom in the words "people, places, things". I thought all these were my life. Interesting thing happened when I heede those words in 2001. None of those people really cared about me. I didn't receive frantic phone calls asking were I was. Sure people were curious, just not that curious. When I came back into the program I decided to listen, really listen, and more importantly do what the people in the rooms asked me to do. No questions asked.
Funny thing happened. I stayed sober.
Post a Comment