Almost as soon as I “dried” up in 1985 and made a decision to try following the 12 steps of recovery to overcome the most pressing problem I had in addiction, the compulsion to return to the alcohol which I knew was destroying my life, I was convinced that the remaining nine steps were necessary and had to be applied without delay. Bill W. explains this crisis in a letter he wrote to a friend in 1966, 31 years after he took his last drink: “In the late stages of our drinking,the will to resist has fled. Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we are entirely ready to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimension. Freedom under God as we understand him.” Bill W. Letter 1966 “Self examination, meditation and prayer… when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life.” Bill W. 12×12 Step 11 page 98 I believe the most important actions to remember on a daily basis are the art and practice of self-examination, prayer and service. This was given to me as a gift from my mentors and sponsors who displayed the vast wisdom of experience which they passed on to all of us who looked up to them for guidance. Wisdom comes from years of introspection, a constant review of our thinking and behavior. This review involves the short view (a day at a time) and the wide view (what principles do we apply in life for sobriety now and in the future.) All good decisions in life come from vital introspection. The founders of our great fellowship realized another important fact soon after applying the steps in their lives. The society of AA, the fellowship, also had to self-examine, pray together and serve as a family. This resulted in the formation of the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts. Lastly, my story, my recovery, personal to me can be shared with anyone who wants to listen, but one caution we all need to understand is that my or your recovery is not necessarily a receipt for the listener’s sobriety.
Vic L. Decisions Group, February, 2017.