February 24, 2014

Quote of the Week

"If you stay in the middle of this program, 
it's hard to fall off the edge."

I don't know about you, but I see them. People who come to meetings late, sit near the door, smoke outside during the meeting, jet out the door right after the meeting. These people scare me because they seem to be half in the program and half out. One foot out the door as they say. That's a scary and dangerous place to be.
 
When people who have gone out come back in (those who make it back in, that is), they all tell a familiar story: "I drifted away. First I stopped working with a sponsor, then I stopped taking commitments, then I went to less and less meetings. Before I knew it, I had a cold beer (or glass of wine) in my hand." And their stories all go downhill from there.
 
I was taught early on in my recovery that I needed to stay in the middle of the pack. The lion called alcoholism picks off the outside stragglers, but I'm safe if I stay in the middle. Today I still arrive early to meetings and speak to newcomers. I sit at the very front of meetings so I'm not distracted, and I take on commitments so I'm forced to show up even when I think I don't need to. Because of this I feel I'm in the middle, and I feel much better there than on the edge. I hope you do, too.

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Copyright @ 2014 Michael Z