Responsibility and AA

“I am responsible when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help I want the hand of AA always to be there and for that: I am responsible.”

When it comes to AA it is important that once we get sober we behave responsibly and are good examples of Alcoholics Anonymous. Because the tools in sobriety were so freely given to us it is important that alcohol addiction help remain available to others through us. It is important that we give back. There are many ways we can do that such as through sponsorship, a drug addiction detox, AA, or perhaps even through volunteering at a 30 day rehab program. It’s imperative that we carry the message to others because if we didn’t and Alcoholics Anonymous wasn’t available to us then we would surely drink and to drink means to die for us. For most of us who are sober we can recall a time when we needed the help of others as well as AA and it was always there. It was there when we didn’t know how to stop drinking, when we needed a solution to this seemingly hopeless state of mind and body, and it has continued to be there for us throughout the years as we encountered rough patches in our sobriety. It is only right that we pay it forward. After all, where would we be without the people that came before us in Alcoholics Anonymous? We would probably still be lost and we definitely would have missed out on this amazing life that we come to find through sobriety; it is a life full of peace, happiness, joy, and love. It is a way of life worth passing on!

A Life of Sobriety, Acceptance, and Peace

“One way to get at the meaning of the principle of acceptance is to meditate upon it in the context of AA’s much used prayer ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Essentially this is to ask for the resources of grace by which we may make spiritual progress under all conditions. Greatly emphasized in this wonderful prayer is a need for the kind of wisdom that discriminates between the possible and the impossible. We shall also see that life’s formidable array of pains and problems will require many different degrees of acceptance as we try to apply this valued principle.-pg. 269 from The Language Of The Heart

Acceptance is defined as the act of taking or receiving something offered, as well as the act of believing. It sounds good in theory but it is one of those things that are easier said than done. On one hand we might feel as alcoholics that acceptance is something we aren’t very good at but if we look back at the time when we had asked for alcohol addiction help were we not somewhat living in acceptance? Did we not accept that we had a problem and that we needed help? Were we not beaten down enough to accept that we might need to go to a 30 day rehab program, AA, or a drug addiction detox? If you are sober the answer to these questions are most likely yes. On the other hand there have most likely been times when we have found some person place or thing completely unacceptable to us. In those situations we ask for our higher powers guidance on what his/her will for us is and the power to carry that out. Through this kind of prayer and meditation not only are we relying on our higher power to carry us through but we are getting closer to living a life full of acceptance and peace.

Fear and Seeking Alcohol Addiction Help

As the AA book says “Fear is an evil, corroding thread; the fabric of our lives is shot through with it.” Fear is obviously a bar to reason, and to love, and of course it invariably powers anger, vainglory, and aggression. It underlies maudlin guilt and paralyzing depression. President Roosevelt once made the significant remark that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.”- pg. 265 from The Language of the Heart

When we are first getting sober or even before we receive alcohol addiction help we are often times full of fear surrounding many different aspects of sobriety. Some of us may be fearful of the idea of getting sober while others may be afraid of the process whether it involves a 30 day rehab program, AA, or a drug addiction detox. The thing about fear is that while it may protect us from potentially dangerous positions it can also keep us from positive things and situations in our life as well. Fear can be healthy if it aids in keeping you out of harm’s way. For example when we first get sober some of us may decide not to go into bars for a while…this is an example of a healthy fear of alcohol. However If our fears keep us from doing things like getting sober then it is an unhealthy and destructive fear. The fact is that we didn’t get sober to live in fear. Sure it’s going to crop up from time to time and that’s fine. What matters most aren’t so much the feelings surrounding the situations in your life but rather what you do with those feelings.

1 of 12 – Your First Step Toward Recovery

The foundation of AA is centered around the 12 steps. Step 1 states: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” This, along with the other 12 steps is read aloud at each and every AA meeting. Without a solid understanding of the 1st step, the eleven following it are virtually unusable. Just as a house is built from the ground up, so must your recovery be constructed from a solid base.

1 – Begin your introduction by participating in your first AA meeting. 12 step recovery programs encourage new members to introduce themselves before the group while providing information regarding their current sobriety period. If you’ve ever watched a hour of television, you likely know the drill… “Hello. My name is __________, and I’m an alcoholic.” Hi __________! Etc. Quick, simple, easy, done.

2 – Grab yourself an AA book and read through the entire Step 1 chapter. Make this a daily routine for your first 30 days.

3 – Take a moment to immerse yourself in the first word of the text: We. AA is an organization that works to remove alcoholics from the isolation that typically comes with their abuse. Recognize that you are not alone in your recovery, and that in fact, your recovery will only be obtained by way of working with others.

4 – Take a look at the “44 Questions” AA pamphlet to obtain a better perspective on your addiction. Evaluate your behaviors honestly, and admit that you are unable to control your drinking.

5 – If you have yet to join an AA meeting or enter our 12 step addiction recovery program in CA, try taking one drink of alcohol a week for a 4-week period. If you are still unsure whether you are actually an alcoholic, this simple test should pose no issue. Once your month is complete, head down to a local meeting to pick up a white chip. This chip signifies a desire to give AA a try, and maintain sobriety for that day.

6 – Write it all out. Think back and begin penning the story of your life in an honest and sincere manner. This will serve in helping illustrate the role alcohol has been playing in your life. Sometimes it takes more than a mirror to catch a true reflection.

7 – Discuss the first step with other AA members to find out how they have worked through the 1st step. Listen carefully, and apply ideas that make sense in the scope of your recovery.

Trust God, Clean House, Work With Others: A Formula for Sobriety, Part 1

Working with others…This is perhaps the easiest and most fulfilling out of the three. After receiving alcohol addiction help, we then do the work either through a 30 day rehab program, AA, or a drug addiction detox, then comes the working with others part. There are many ways other than sponsorship to be of service. There are commitments at meetings, committees to volunteer for, as well as different areas of program that need help. With that being said sponsorship is one of the most rewarding as well as imperative parts to staying sober. Through sponsorship we get to give away what was so freely given to us. After we have started doing the work we can then take others through the steps and show newcomers precisely how we have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. If we can look back to when we were new and can recall the fear and discomfort that we experienced then hopefully we can approach this situation with patience, love, tolerance, and compassion. We get to walk through this together. Taking someone through the steps is important not only is it the thing that keeps the program going but it also teaches us how to show up, be accountable , work with our fellows ,keep our egos in check, and keeps us sober. There is nothing more rewarding then seeing someone you sponsor stay sober, know that you helped them achieve sobriety, and perhaps passed on some of the most valuable tools in life one can pass on.

Feelings and Balance in Sobriety

When first getting alcohol addiction help and getting sober many feelings might come up for us. We might be flooded by feelings of fear surrounding many things such as entering into a 30 day rehab program, AA, a drug addiction detox, or just the idea of getting sober. We might also experience feelings of loss, sadness, excitement and happiness. The longer we stay sober the more our feelings balance out. However If we are stagnant in our steps and the work we do to stay sober those feelings of fear might return. It is not something that needs to be alarming but instead can serve as a reminder that we need step up and do more work or that perhaps something else needs to be changed. It does not mean we have to take a drink to deal with our feelings. It means we need to be aware of the way we are living our lives and the changes that need to be made in order to get out of those dark places. Many of us believe that sobriety is fragile and something that can be easily lost if we aren’t careful. While it is something that needs to be protected and cherished to a certain extent it is not necessarily fragile. There is a clear cut recipe for success in sobriety and it is available to everyone weather you’re in AA, or a treatment facility. There is a model laid out for us that shows us how we can permanently recover if we are willing to do the work and go to any lengths to achieve sobriety.

Getting Sober and Starting Over

There are different forms of starting over and as alcoholics when we first ask for alcohol addiction help and get sober it’s very much a new beginning for us. There are several options and ways to start over, but when we make the choice to get sober it’s one of the most important choices we can ever make. It’s a choice to live a better life. We choose to let go of our past and the disease of alcoholism that has held us down for so long. Some of us choose to enlist the help of a 30 day rehab, AA, or a drug addiction detox for guidance. We learn that at any given moment we can start over and make a different choice. We can change our minds to find out what Gods will for us is or change our behavior around any situations. We learn we never have to drink to start over we just simply have to choose contrary action as opposed to doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results (insanity).  Starting our day over, redirecting our thoughts and realizing our actions and our thoughts can be beneficial and rewarding. Whether it be by letting go of something, trying something new, or changing our thought process or actions, it can mean the difference between a good day or bad day, a healthy happy relationship or a toxic one, drinking or not drinking, or other healthy or unhealthy choices. When we are able to realize that something is no longer working for us and are able to let go and start a new then we get to have a different experience with life. This is one of the several ways that sobriety work for us. The fact that we don’t have to drink anymore over our feelings, but instead stop what we’re doing and try a new approach and find peace amongst chaos is a miracle. We use to drink over our feelings/thoughts before as well as not getting our way or our fear and now after getting sober we are able to turn everything over to a higher power and realize that there is nothing we cannot do or be if we are willing to just to the footwork.

Alcoholics and Their All or Nothing Thinking

Often times alcoholics live in a world of extremes. Extreme ways of doing things and extreme ways of thinking. It’s another way our addiction plays out. We often have all or nothing thinking followed sometimes by all or nothing actions. Things for us are generally black and white. We at times look at things in a way that if we don’t “win” or get our way then nobody wins (especially when we are new and first receive alcohol addiction help). This thought process can actually be harmful to our sobriety in the sense that when we are unable to see any other way not only are we setting ourselves up for a us against the world mentality but we are potentially harming others, living in fear / self will, and we are shutting ourselves off from remaining teachable. If we fail to remain teachable it might lead to a relapse. When we go to a drug rehab in California, AA, or other Los Angeles rehab programs we learn that we cease fighting all places, people, and things. We learn to let things just be so that we can have peace and personal growth. Through this process of learning how to live life on life’s terms we start to rely on faith in a higher power, rely a little less on ourselves, and get to the point where we know that we are going to be ok no matter what even if things don’t look the way we think they should that very moment we know it is exactly how it is supposed to be.

God and Meditation Part Two

“In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for the inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.” pg 86 Into Action from the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Yesterday we talked about coming up with our own concept of our higher power and what that looked like. Today let’s take a look at meditation and the role your higher power plays in that. Many of us might have a hard time with meditation when we first got sober. This makes sense considering our need or reasoning behind seeking alcohol addiction help probably didn’t stem from our constant meditation practices or the constant state of peace we were in. Many of us were spiritually bankrupt when we got sober and couldn’t even believe in ourselves, let alone a higher power or some guy in the sky belief system. Eventually we learned /came to believe this through doing the work at 30 day rehab programs, on our own, AA, or other California rehab centers. Regardless of where we found our higher power the important thing is that we found a power as that’s an imperative part of working the steps as well as meditation. The incentive of meditation is different for man. Some of us just wants peace. Some of us want a conscious contact with their higher power, and many of us want both. Meditation has several benefits and is vital in our recovery. According to our 11th step it’s not just a time for us to sit silently and reflect but also a time set aside for reviewing our day, and sitting still waiting for answers on what Gods will is for us.

God and Meditation Part One

“Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of his spirit into us to some extent we have become God conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense, but we must go further and that means more action. Step 11 suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn’t be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men then we are using it constantly. It works if we have the proper attitude and work at it.” Pgs 85-86 Into Action from the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

We have come into AA and receive alcohol addiction help we may read or hear people talking about god and depending on our previous experiences we may have a negative reaction or thought around it. Just to hopefully clarify AA and other drug addiction detox are not religious based programs but rather spiritually based programs unless otherwise specified form the drug addiction facility in LA. Those of us who have been in recovery for a while encourage the people that are newly sober to create their own concept of a higher power. All that is suggested is that it’s not another person and that it is a source of love and something you believe can carry you through any rough spots, as well as something bigger than yourself. Ultimately we want you to find a higher power of your own understanding. Your concept of a higher power is something that can continue to grow as you do and becomes such a valuable and amazing gift.