LOVED BACK TO RECOVERY Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with old-fashioned willpower; it was instead a matter of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we were free. BEST OF THE GRAPEVINE, Vol. I, p. 198 I can be free of my old enslaving self. After a while I recognize, and believe in, the good within...
FREEDOM FROM FEAR When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 122 Material values ruled my life for many years during my active alcoholism. I believed that all of my possessions would make...
WE STAND—OR FALL—TOGETHER . . . no society of men and women ever had a more urgent need for continuous effectiveness and permanent unity. We alcoholics see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 561 Just as the Twelve Steps of A.A. are written in a specific sequence for a reason, so it is with the Twelve Traditions. The First Step and the First Tradition attempt to...
A NEW LIFE Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. . . . Life will mean something at last. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 152 Life is better without alcohol. A.A. and the presence of a Higher Power keeps me sober, but the grace of God does even better; it brings service into my life. Contact with the A.A. program teaches me a new and greater understanding of what Alcoholics Anonymous is...
PEACE OF MIND Do we lay the matter before our sponsor or spiritual adviser, earnestly asking God's help and guidance — meanwhile resolving to do the right thing when it becomes clear, cost what it may? TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 86-87 My belief in a Higher Power is an essential part of my work on Step Nine; forgiveness, timing, and right motives are the other ingredients. My willingness to do the Step is a growing experience that...
