Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided 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. 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. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power that One is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. we asked His protection and care with complete abandon. 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. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him , praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives. (b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism. (c) That God could and would if He were sought.
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.
If I can try to follow these directions, I so have of chance of staying sober.
It was once explained to me like this. They are giving us directions. Lets say like directions to making a cake. If I follow the directions I will get that exact cake.
Later though, I might start thinking I can make it taste or look a better (my ego), so I add more flour or sugar, or both. And maybe some chocolate chips and peanut butter kisses. I taste it, and it isn't any better at all. As a matter of fact it's pretty bad.
They have given me a specific recipe for sobriety. And If I follow it, carefully, I will get everything the Big Book promises. If I add or take away any thing. Well... I might get something I really don't want.
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.
If I can try to follow these directions, I so have of chance of staying sober.
It was once explained to me like this. They are giving us directions. Lets say like directions to making a cake. If I follow the directions I will get that exact cake.
Later though, I might start thinking I can make it taste or look a better (my ego), so I add more flour or sugar, or both.
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I tried leaving too many ingrediants out and mine flopped like a pancake.
This is read at the start of every meeting I go to. I am not sure if it is a universal AA practice. Usually, I close my eyes during this and settle into the meeting. As time is progressing, how it works, takes on new meaning for me each day. This week, my ongoing thought is that I need to be and am being fearless at this stage of my recovery. This does not mean I am not racked with fears and doubts, but rather, I have the tenacity to keep plugging along and work through them. I have fully surrendered to being powerless over alcohol and most other things. In that aspect, I have built a bit of a foundation in that I know now that drinking will only make every problem and every challenge I face more unsolvable and unmanagable. Hence, it's just not an option and that obsession is pretty much gone. Now I am naturally progressing to step 2 which is to develop the faith that my higher power will step in and guide me through all the changes and fears that I face everyday, if I let him (the beginnings of step 3). In any case, I love "how it works" it is engrained into my head after so many meetings. It is an essential part of my program.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
Change the emphasis on...What.... an order??????? The other day I listened and heard someone state it that way.... I laugh because when were we alkies ever good at taking orders!!!!!!
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
This is read at the start of every meeting I go to. I am not sure if it is a universal AA practice. Usually, I close my eyes during this and settle into the meeting. As time is progressing, how it works, takes on new meaning for me each day. This week, my ongoing thought is that I need to be and am being fearless at this stage of my recovery. This does not mean I am not racked with fears and doubts, but rather, I have the tenacity to keep plugging along and work through them. I have fully surrendered to being powerless over alcohol and most other things. In that aspect, I have built a bit of a foundation in that I know now that drinking will only make every problem and every challenge I face more unsolvable and unmanagable. Hence, it's just not an option and that obsession is pretty much gone. Now I am naturally progressing to step 2 which is to develop the faith that my higher power will step in and guide me through all the changes and fears that I face everyday, if I let him (the beginnings of step 3). In any case, I love "how it works" it is engrained into my head after so many meetings. It is an essential part of my program.
I got sober in The Akron / Cleve. Oh suburbs and I don't remember reading "how it works" much before meetings, but we normally read the 24 hour book daily message.
We...
used the "how it works" short form. "If you want what we have, and are willing to go to any lenghths to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps"
We often used and discussed a lot of non-conference approved literature and pamplets and discussed topics like "The 4 absolutes" that are not in the big book.
I think a lot of this stems from Dr. Bob's influence and the fact that in the early days there was no "Big Book" and the local groups used many sources of spirtual information to stay sober.
Dr. Bob stayed out of the political stuff about approved/not approved literature and the groups kept using materials they thought would help them stay sober.
I have been in Atlanta the past 8 years and they read "how it works" every meeting.
I was really shocked to see how "hung up" the groups in GA are about focusing only on the first 164 pages of the big book.
Our founders would be appauled at this, ironically enough they write on page 164 in the year 1939. "We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and us."
P.S. I'm pretty sure pink chips are only used in S. Fla. LOL
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Rob
"There ain't no Coupe DeVille hiding in the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box."
It's actually red chip now buddy! In another month roughly it will hopefully be blue chip...but that sounds like a diner special...shrug. I think in other areas 90 day coins are metal? Maybe I was jipped. The longer I go, the less chips are mattering anyhow, though I am still looking forward to the next one.
And yes, I realize every sentence starts with "we." It is a "we" program and How it works seems to help bring everyone into focus as to why "we" are in the rooms to begin with. I am not so unique and special...I know that in a good way. Just another garden variety drunk as they say (and one in early recovery at that...)
-- Edited by pinkchip at 07:22, 2009-02-19
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
Zero to thirty is white (I think everywhere). 30 to 60 days is yellow. 60 to 90 is pink. 6 months is blue. 9 months silver. And of course 1 year (medallion time). The chips shouldn't mean so much but if it helps keep people sober...what the heck. Of course I imagine when (and if i pray) is have 1 year there will be an earth shattering celebration all about me... having all my family and friends around and millions of people clapping for me and fireworks going off and a letter from the president congratulating me and a pay raise and my parents will tell me they now think I am the perfect son and I will sprout angel wings from my back....and they will add a chapter to the big book "as mark sees it." Just kidding...only highlighting the latest character defect to come into my awareness which is the "it's all about me" attitude and chronic self-absorption I seem to be going through....oh yeah...and the "I expect rewards, attention, and appreciation all the time for the good things I do" martyr complex that is also there. Man...I'm such a newcomer...hence the need for me to keep coming back and to work it a day at a time.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
Rob84 wrote: I think a lot of this stems from Dr. Bob's influence and the fact that in the early days there was no "Big Book" and the local groups used many sources of spirtual information to stay sober.
Dr. Bob stayed out of the political stuff about approved/not approved literature and the groups kept using materials they thought would help them stay sober.
yea, like the "Akron pamphlets". raise your right arm and click your heals when reading the following, that Dr. Bob had commisioned to be written by someone outside of AA. Ironic.
"Definition of an Alcoholic Anonymous:
An Alcoholic Anonymous is an alcoholic who through application of and adherence to rules laid down by the organization, has completely forsworn the use of any and all alcoholic beverages. The moment he wittingly drinks so much as a drop of beer, wine, spirits, or any other alcoholic drink he automatically loses all status as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.
A.A. is not interested in sobering up drunks who are not sincere in their desire to remain completely sober for all time. A.A. is not interested in alcoholics who want to sober up merely to go on another bender, sober up because of fear for their jobs, their wives, their social standing, or to clear up some trouble either real or imaginary. In other words, if a person is genuinely sincere in his desire for continued sobriety for his own good, is convinced in his heart that alcohol holds him in its power, and is willing to admit that he is an alcoholic, members of
Alcoholics Anonymous will do all in their power, spend days of their time to guide him to a new, a happy, and a contented way of life.
It is utterly essential for the newcomer to say to himself sincerely and without any reservation, "I am doing this for myself and myself alone." Experience has proved in hundreds of cases that unless an alcoholic is sobering up for a purely personal and selfish motive, he will not remain sober for any great length of time. He may remain sober for a few weeks or a few months, but the moment the motivating element, usually fear of some sort, disappears, so disappears sobriety.
TO THE NEWCOMER: It is your life. It is your choice. If you are not completely convinced to your own satisfaction that you are an alcoholic, that your life has become unmanageable; if you are not ready to part with alcohol forever, it would be better for all concerned if you discontinue reading this and give up the idea of becoming a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.
For if you are not convinced, it is not only wasting your own time, but the time of scores of men and women who are genuinely interested in helping you"
imagine hearing that read instead of chapter 5 "How it works" at your first meeting.
This wasn't done then from what I understand, but there is a group in St. Pete called the "No Fluff Group" (read no bs group) that, through a group conscience decision, decided to make it a standard reading at the beginning of their meetings. I voiced opinion and they informed me that there were plenty of other meetings that I could attend, and I took their advice.
