MAKING AMENDS Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are afraid. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 87 To have courage, to be unafraid, are gifts of my recovery. They empower me to ask for help and to go forth in making my amends with a sense of dignity and humility. Making amends may require a certain amount of honesty that I feel I lack, yet with the help of God and the wisdom of others, I can...
RECOVERY BY PROXY? They will always materialize if we work for them. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 Sometimes I think: "Making these amends is going too far! No one should have to humble himself like that!" However, it is this very humbling of myself that brings me that much closer to the sunlight of the spirit. A.A. is the only hope I have if I am to continue healing and gain a life of happiness, friendship and harmony. Copyright 1990 by...
OPENING NEW DOORS They are being fulfilled among us — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 The Promises talked about in this passage are slowly coming to life for me. What has given me hope is putting Step Nine into action. The Step has allowed me to see and set goals for myself in recovery. Old habits and behaviors die hard. Working Step Nine enables me to close the door on the drunk I was, and to open new...
"WE ASKED HIS PROTECTION" We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59 I could not manage my life alone. I had tried that road and failed. My "ultimate sin" dragged me down to the lowest level I have ever reached and, unable even to function, I accepted the fact that I desperately needed help. I stopped fighting and surrendered entirely to God. Only then did I start growing! God forgave me. A Higher Power...
"OUR SIDE OF THE STREET" We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing that nothing worth while can be accomplished until we do so, never trying to tell him what he should do. His faults are not discussed. We stick to our own. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 77-78 I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This...
