Thursday, September 14, 2006
A.A.: Into Action: Straightening Out the Past
"...we will never get over drinking until we have done our utmost to straighten out the past. We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing that nothing worth while can be accomplished until we do so..."
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 77
Making direct amends to people I have harmed, as Step 9 suggests, is some of the most difficult work I do in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is also some of the most rewarding. This was especially true early on in sobriety and in particular to those people whom I did not like so much.
When I was drinking, I did things that were really out of character for me. I did things I regretted and for which I was ashamed. I did mean things and dishonest things. And I never apologized to anyone... I rationalized my behavior as justified, blamed my actions on others, or simply denied my words and drowned any guilt with more alcohol. But deep down, I knew it was wrong. Deep down, I felt ashamed and unworthy. I lived in fear of the past.
Through A.A. I have owned up to those mistakes and faced the fear head-on. I have restored respect to people I have trashed and been given courage to do the next right thing. I have swept my side of the street. The past no longer has a hold on me and does not define who I am today.
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 77
Making direct amends to people I have harmed, as Step 9 suggests, is some of the most difficult work I do in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is also some of the most rewarding. This was especially true early on in sobriety and in particular to those people whom I did not like so much.
When I was drinking, I did things that were really out of character for me. I did things I regretted and for which I was ashamed. I did mean things and dishonest things. And I never apologized to anyone... I rationalized my behavior as justified, blamed my actions on others, or simply denied my words and drowned any guilt with more alcohol. But deep down, I knew it was wrong. Deep down, I felt ashamed and unworthy. I lived in fear of the past.
Through A.A. I have owned up to those mistakes and faced the fear head-on. I have restored respect to people I have trashed and been given courage to do the next right thing. I have swept my side of the street. The past no longer has a hold on me and does not define who I am today.
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
A.A.: Into Action: Willingness is Indispensable
"We have a list of all persons we have harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends. We made it when we took inventory. We subjected ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haevn't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol."
"Now we need more action, without which we find that 'Faith without works is dead.'"
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 76
One of the things I count as a blessing is the memory of how bad it got. Not that I want to dwell in the past, but I never want to forget. Sometimes I use those bad memories to motivate me to keep doing what I need to do each day to stay sober and live a life free from the compulsion to drink.
Just as the text suggests, willingness is key, but then comes the requirement to actually do something about it.
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
"Now we need more action, without which we find that 'Faith without works is dead.'"
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 76
One of the things I count as a blessing is the memory of how bad it got. Not that I want to dwell in the past, but I never want to forget. Sometimes I use those bad memories to motivate me to keep doing what I need to do each day to stay sober and live a life free from the compulsion to drink.
Just as the text suggests, willingness is key, but then comes the requirement to actually do something about it.
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
A.A.: Into Action: The Passionate Pursuit of Potential
"We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of our past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We may begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience."
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 75
"Liberating" is the word I use most often to describe my experience with working a 5th Step. I never realized the extent to which I was hiding from the world - afraid that others would discover the fraud that I had been and worse, wouldn't accept the person I really was.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "The relentless pursuit of perfection"? It was a tagline for Lexus automobiles during the 1990's - probably coined by an alcoholic. The trap I laid for myself was setting a standard so high that there was no way that I could ever achieve it. Nothing less than perfection. My difficulties began when I perceived the outcome of my efforts (viewed by others as 'above average' to 'outstanding') as failure. For a time, I continued to strive for perfection, but after a while I felt the effort was futile. So, instead of lowering the bar, I just gave up and went to the bar. The new standard became "as little as possible."
It was no way to live and, of course, it was a downward spiral. As I became sicker and sicker, I stockpiled regret, fear, and envy. Owning up to it all and then letting it go by honestly disclosing it to God and another human being has been a huge step in my recovery. I have since felt the nearness of my Creator and have been led into a spiritual experience.
Just like me, I think the "tagmeister" at Lexus must have sobered up and dumped the garbage of the past - the company filed for a trademark of the phrase, "The passionate pursuit of potential."
I think I'm going to make that the tagline for my life. I can live up to being the best that I can be. It's not perfection, but I can look the world in the eye...
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 75
"Liberating" is the word I use most often to describe my experience with working a 5th Step. I never realized the extent to which I was hiding from the world - afraid that others would discover the fraud that I had been and worse, wouldn't accept the person I really was.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "The relentless pursuit of perfection"? It was a tagline for Lexus automobiles during the 1990's - probably coined by an alcoholic. The trap I laid for myself was setting a standard so high that there was no way that I could ever achieve it. Nothing less than perfection. My difficulties began when I perceived the outcome of my efforts (viewed by others as 'above average' to 'outstanding') as failure. For a time, I continued to strive for perfection, but after a while I felt the effort was futile. So, instead of lowering the bar, I just gave up and went to the bar. The new standard became "as little as possible."
It was no way to live and, of course, it was a downward spiral. As I became sicker and sicker, I stockpiled regret, fear, and envy. Owning up to it all and then letting it go by honestly disclosing it to God and another human being has been a huge step in my recovery. I have since felt the nearness of my Creator and have been led into a spiritual experience.
Just like me, I think the "tagmeister" at Lexus must have sobered up and dumped the garbage of the past - the company filed for a trademark of the phrase, "The passionate pursuit of potential."
I think I'm going to make that the tagline for my life. I can live up to being the best that I can be. It's not perfection, but I can look the world in the eye...
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Monday, September 11, 2006
A.A.: Into Action: Sounding Board
"We must be entirely honest with somebody if we expect to live long or happily in this world."
"Rightly and naturally, we think well before we choose the person or persons with whom we take this intimate and confidential step."
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 74
"We're only as sick as our secrets" is one of my favorite A.A. slogans. I learned the hard way that it's best to get all our secrets, behavior, and thoughts for which we're ashamed out. If left bottled-up inside our minds, they retain control over our emotions and ability to live freely. I'm not talking about some big public announcement, but safely disclosed to a trustworthy person. It's a big part of cleaning our side of the street.
There is something liberating about confessing our prior bad acts. And, I believe that the Catholic faith presents a good model with its Sacrament of Penance. I don't claim to be an expert on Catholicism, but from my understanding, Catholics believe that a confession is more that the simple act of telling one's sins -- a confession must include sincere sorrow and a desire to make things right.
Alcoholics Anonymous doesn't explicitly state it as I've suggested, however, taken as a whole, the steps certainly imply a thorough and humbling amends.
The other point of this passage is to find someone that is trustworthy. I believe most in A.A. find a sponsor with whom to "do their fifth step."
Those who are probably not suitable include: your wife or husband, mother-in-law, your children, best friend, barber (unless he happens to be your sponsor), definitely not your old bartender, gossipy neighbor, boss, old girlfriend/boyfriend, fence post, Big Book, etc. In other words, find someone in A.A. with a few years of sobriety that you can trust (these are great qualities for a sponsor also).
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
"Rightly and naturally, we think well before we choose the person or persons with whom we take this intimate and confidential step."
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 74
"We're only as sick as our secrets" is one of my favorite A.A. slogans. I learned the hard way that it's best to get all our secrets, behavior, and thoughts for which we're ashamed out. If left bottled-up inside our minds, they retain control over our emotions and ability to live freely. I'm not talking about some big public announcement, but safely disclosed to a trustworthy person. It's a big part of cleaning our side of the street.
There is something liberating about confessing our prior bad acts. And, I believe that the Catholic faith presents a good model with its Sacrament of Penance. I don't claim to be an expert on Catholicism, but from my understanding, Catholics believe that a confession is more that the simple act of telling one's sins -- a confession must include sincere sorrow and a desire to make things right.
Alcoholics Anonymous doesn't explicitly state it as I've suggested, however, taken as a whole, the steps certainly imply a thorough and humbling amends.
The other point of this passage is to find someone that is trustworthy. I believe most in A.A. find a sponsor with whom to "do their fifth step."
Those who are probably not suitable include: your wife or husband, mother-in-law, your children, best friend, barber (unless he happens to be your sponsor), definitely not your old bartender, gossipy neighbor, boss, old girlfriend/boyfriend, fence post, Big Book, etc. In other words, find someone in A.A. with a few years of sobriety that you can trust (these are great qualities for a sponsor also).
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Sunday, September 10, 2006
A.A.: Into Action: Decisions
"More than most people the alcoholic leads a double life."
"We must be entirely honest with somebody if we expect to live long or happily in this world."
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 73
I ran across a quote the other day by Tony Robbins that I find relevant. Tony says, "It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."
As an alcoholic, I was nearly always ready to claim a decision. I decided I was going to stop drinking a thousand times. I decided that I would never drink on Sundays so that I could get up for work on Mondays. I decided that I would never drive after drinking. I decided that I would do whatever it took to control my drinking. The only problem was, it was easy for me to proclaim these things and then, privately, not follow through. I'd have good intentions to be honest, but when it came right down to it, it was easier to only tell half the story.
I never got sober by just being nearly always ready. The Big Book says, "Half measures availed us nothing." Nothing is what I got for all my readiness.
Tony has something to say about this too, "A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."
Without action, Alcoholics Anonymous is just another big book!
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
"We must be entirely honest with somebody if we expect to live long or happily in this world."
Alcoholics Anonymous
Into Action
Page 73
I ran across a quote the other day by Tony Robbins that I find relevant. Tony says, "It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."
As an alcoholic, I was nearly always ready to claim a decision. I decided I was going to stop drinking a thousand times. I decided that I would never drink on Sundays so that I could get up for work on Mondays. I decided that I would never drive after drinking. I decided that I would do whatever it took to control my drinking. The only problem was, it was easy for me to proclaim these things and then, privately, not follow through. I'd have good intentions to be honest, but when it came right down to it, it was easier to only tell half the story.
I never got sober by just being nearly always ready. The Big Book says, "Half measures availed us nothing." Nothing is what I got for all my readiness.
Tony has something to say about this too, "A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."
Without action, Alcoholics Anonymous is just another big book!
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
