My wife and I were looking through a Crock Pot cookbook today and we found a recipe that we wanted to try in our slow cooker.  But, when we went to the store, there was one ingredient that we couldn't find that was included in the recipe.  I first thought about substituting it for something else, but I quickly scrapped that idea.  All of this made me think of my childhood...and Step Four.

When I was a kid, I remember that my step-mom had cookbooks filled with lots of recipes for casseroles that she would cook.  She had the recipes, but she never followed them.  She was always substituting this for that, or leaving out this, or adding that.  She couldn't quite stick to the recipe.  The usual result was that the casserole never tasted quite the way she wanted it to, but she didn't know why.  She always thought there was something wrong with the recipe book.

As an A.A. member years later, I remember quite a few occasions where I've sat in A.A. meetings and heard people say, "I've tried A.A., but it's never worked for me."  Or, "Those Steps didn't do anything for me....they don't work for everybody."

When A.A. doesn't seem to be working, or we're not getting the results we hoped for, we can often begin to think there is something wrong with "The Recipe Book".  But, the truth is, there is nothing wrong with "The Recipe Book".  We just didn't stick to the "Recipe", that's all.  If you're new to recovery, I'd like to encourage you to follow the Steps and work them exactly as they're written.  Don't leave out anything.  Don't add anything.  Just stick to "The Recipe" and you can't go wrong.

Blessings, Mike D.