Spirituality is the foundation of the AA Program
When I came into AA, I was spiritually, morally, and emotionally bankrupt.
I had had no prior religious or spirituality training or real experience. My only prayers were foxhole prayers. Then, He would get me out of a situation and I would chump Him. Or He would not get me out of a situation, and I figured He had chumped me. I was ready, able, and willing to “Go to any lengths” to get this program. It seemed to have helped so many people that I was seeing in the meetings. And I wanted it, too!
My original sponsors told me repeatedly, “Fake it ’til you make it!”
So I did! They also told me that, whenever I came to a crossroads in my life, simply use the shortened version of the 3rd Step. Just say “God, help me.” So, I did this too. I then was seeing changes in me that I never thought were possible. And I was not faking it anymore!
I had gone a short amount of time and realized that I hadn’t even thought about taking a drink.
Someone would get into my face and I would either divert the conversation to something else or exit completely, instead of smacking them upside the head or talking nasty to them. People were talking with me not looking for avenues of escape. I was beginning to reap the benefits of utilizing my spirituality.
I soon understood that in Step 2, came to believe that a Power greater than I, could and would if sought, and in Step 3 that my Higher Power, whatever It was called, was ALWAYS ready, able, and willing to work for and with me. And I didn’t feel so alone anymore. Before, I would feel lonely in a crowd, no matter who was in it. I would walk around my block in Detroit on holidays seeing the joy, smelling the barbeque, and hearing families and friends celebrating and having a great time. And I would feel so alone that I would cry.
After working the first 3 Steps to the best of my ability, please remember that I was willing to go to any lengths to make this change, I put a positive spin on my own addictive personality. By utilizing my inborn spirituality.
Thus I wanted more. Much more. This meant that I was ready to move on deeper into the program. Remember, I was at the stage where if someone told me that if I would take a pill that they gave me and it would cure my alcoholism, my first thought would be “I wonder what two would do.”
So, I dove head and heart first into the spiritual aspect of the program and progressed, seemingly, by leaps and bounds.
Emmet Fox was the spiritual advisor for many of the earlier AAs. His book, The Sermon On The Mount, was used by Bill W. and the other original members as their first Big Book. The teachings of Mr. Fox formed the spiritual base for AA. This base is still the foundation of the AA Program. This can be seen in the 12 Steps. Only the first half of the 1st Step even mentions alcohol. ALL of the rest are about our thinking. This promotes the adage “Change your thinking, change your life!”
I couldn’t get enough and was always looking for more.
The beautiful part of this was that the more that I looked, the more that I discovered. To this day, I am digging and trying to expand my spiritual awareness that was awakened by this simple program of AA. The simple program that was put together for very complicated folks.
Through spirituality, I learned truly what serenity means and, of course, still am looking for more.
I believe that the key to success in this program is to study and learn from the heart and not the head. You may know something intellectually but I feel that I don’t really know anything unless I FEEL it. Our spirituality is felt in our hearts. I feel it today and the results are that I am truly Happy, Joyous, and Free. Do you want the same thing? Then COD, come on down. And then use all of the AA tools. Tools such as Let Go and Let God, K.I.S.S., H.A.L.T. Don’t overcomplicate the situation. If it feels good, do it. If there is apprehension, stop and take a breath because something is amiss.
You, too, can be “Too blessed to be stressed.”
Just dive into the spirituality aspect of the Program and enjoy the peace, clarity, and joy of being alive that it brings. Thank you, God!
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