Reading some of the posts on the board lately from some who may not understand what A.A. offers to those of us who have the disease of alcoholism, I'm struck by these words from Chapter Five of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (our textbook): "If you want what we have, and are willing to go to any length to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked; we thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. . . . Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a program of recovery: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable; 2. . . ."
What do we in A.A. have? Here's a partial list (others please add to the list; let's see how long we can make it based on what we've received). If you are new to A.A., or "on the fence," or just plain scared (as all of us once were), take a look at the list, and ask yourself if you want ANY of the things on the list, and whether you are willing to go to any length to get them:
1. peace of mind 2. no blackouts 3. no waking up in strange places with strange people 4. improved self-esteem 5. a fellowship of people who truly understand us 6. better relationships with friends, family and co-workers 7. less fear 8. no hangovers 9. no DUI arrests 10. less self-pity 11. a true sense of purpose for our lives 12. no more reeking, i.e. stinking, of alcohol 13. some "tools" to get us through when things don't go our way 14. true happiness 15. a place to go (AA meetings and functions) when we're feeling lonely or just want to hang out 16. no searching around the house for the bottle we KNOW we hid somewhere 17. the ability to keep commitments--to actually show up when and where we said we would 18. a relationship with a Power greater than ourselves that can solve ALL of our problems
19. humongous reduction in feelings of guilt 20. feeling healthy in the morning, not "pickled" from the night before 21. not afraid to go to a family function, worried about what I'm going to do drunk 22. no more worry about "what the neighbors/coworkers know about me" 23. no messy appearances in court over drunken decisions 24. no waking up drunk in jail wondering how I got there 25. no more trying to hide drinking from my spouse 26. happier mornings, knowing someone greater is in charge 27. true friends in AA who aren't using me for alcohol/money/substances 28. less needless trips to the E.R. 29. the chance for a spiritual life without religious restrictions 30. reduction in negative cyclic thinking 31. a foundation for living that is a lot easier than my old way
Thanks, BGG!! Great way to start the morning!
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~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
32. Making appointments/commits and KEEPING THEM 33. No more surprise liquor store charges on the Visa! 34. Not only getting to work everyday, but getting there on time 35. No more having to check redial on the phone or sent email 36. No more pretending to know what someone is talking about 'the next day' 37. No more layering the bottles / cans between the trash so they don't 'clink' when the trash gets picked up (God forbid my garbage man know how much I drank!) 38. Being loved by other AA's until I was able to love myself 39. Feel self worth instead of worthless
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
