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Helping Others Discover Their Higher Power

“Even though your protégé may not have entirely admitted his condition, he has become very curious to know how you got well. Let him ask you that question, if he will. Tell him exactly what happened to you. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he is willing to believe in a power greater than we and that he live by the spiritual principles. When dealing with such a person, you had better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles. There is no use arousing any prejudice he may have against certain theological terms and conceptions about which he may already be confused.”- pg. 93 Working with Others from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

This excerpt from the big book very much goes hand in hand with our third tradition which states that the only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. That means that regardless of our religious/ spiritual beliefs or lack thereof we still get the opportunity to receive alcohol addiction help. Through going to a 30 day rehab program, A.A., or drug addiction detox we get the tools needed to come up with our own concept of a higher power. It is important when carrying the message to another alcoholic that we make the fact that they can choose their own higher power very clear. Many of us have either grown up with the concept of a damning or shaming God or no concept at all. So the idea of having to rely on a particular higher power can be scary. The fact that we get to mold our concept of a power greater then ourselves is an amazing part of recovery. It can be a source of love, comfort, and peace.

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