“Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.” AA Big Book, p. 62 “How It Works”
When we first arrive in a California rehab center, we may feel alienated from our family and friends, we are doubtless filled with anger and resentment that they, our employers, or the entire world just haven’t treated us right and don’t understand at all.
What we begin to realize when we choose one of the 30 day rehab programs and begin work with recovery professionals is that we are not without fault. When we have detoxed from drugs and alcohol and our mind and body begin to clear, we are able to take a look at our relationships, our feelings and ourselves in a way that has eluded us for so long. The more work we put into our recovery, the easier it becomes to be honest with ourselves. When we work a 12 step program addiction becomes something we are able to move beyond.
As we begin to take an honest look at our selves and our behaviors, the ways in which we have allowed fear to control our lives and drive us to do things that damage our personal and professional relationships becomes more readily apparent and through the “searching and fearless moral inventory” described in the fourth step of Alcoholics Anonymous we are able to work toward setting those relationships right and not repeating the same mistakes in sobriety that we made while we were active in our addiction to drugs and alcohol.