Working the Program

[MajestyJo]

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

With the first three steps, you get the courage to work the rest. When you work the rest, you get rid of the garbage so you can work the first three.

This could have been posted this any where under any fellowship, but the 12 Steps I realized are a common denominator. It doesn't matter how we have experienced alcohol, it has affected just about all of us. With NA and Nar-Anon, it may not have been alcohol, but they often either start there and go onto other things or try to taper off their drug of choice by using alcohol.

I am powerless over alcohol, I need to get honest and surrender to the program. I need to find a Higher Power that works for me. I need to build trust and a relationship with this Source of Power that can do for me, what I can't do for myself. Then I have to decide whether I am going to stay or go back out. I have to decide to put my life into the care of the God of my understanding. I had to learn to trust the program and see that it could work for me.

It is about recognizing that this is a family disease, that all members need the application of the 12 Steps to heal mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

They work if I work for them. I have a right to exercise my judgment, change my mind, look at life from a new perspective, and allow myself to be my own person.

This was my experience, strength and hope posted on another site. When you read my posts, that over the last 21 years, I have gone to AA, NA, CA, Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, ACoA, Women for Sobriety, SOS (on line when I sponsored an athiest) and CoDA. They say, do what ever it takes for your sobriety. I never went to Overeaters Anonymous or Emotions Anonymous (have papers for their program), but I had a sponsor who had been a member of both. On top of that I went for outside counselling for about 6 years, off and on to deal with certain issues. The last was for Sexual Abuse counselling at 15 years sober. I thought I had dealt with it all when doing my 4th and 5th, but the last relationship, triggered a lot of old feelings, so I had to deal with them and I chose an outside source.

No matter where I went, AA has always been my base. The common denominator is AA's 12 Steps and Traditions. The substance isn't the problem, recovery is an inside job, it starts with me.