The Foundation for recovery from alcoholism is spirituality
These steps for recovery are not just for newcomers. They are the key to the door leading from dread and misery that haunt us when we enter the Program into a whole new way of life.
One that gives us Happiness, Joy, and Freedom. No matter what is going on around you.
Step 1 states “We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.” Finally admitting this is a great start to recovery. Now that it is admitted, the only thing to do next is to act on it.
Step 2 states “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” We have tried recovery before but finally discovered that we could not do it by ourselves.
We needed a Power for recovery that was bigger than our problem. That Power is in having a God in your life, no matter what you call It.
Step 3 states “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” There are some who have been in the fellowship for a long time, some even decades, who still can not allow themselves to be happy much of the time. Even in recovery.
As important as it is, the act of not taking that first drink or drug is only the beginning of full recovery. The personal interpretation of Step 3 sometimes adds and subtracts things that “don’t really apply to me.”
Oh yes, some have said that they turned their wills and lives over but then have usually taken back “just a little bit” because “I know how this recovery Program works, now.”
Taking back just a little bit is like being just a little bit pregnant. IT WASN’T MEANT TO BE PICKED AND CHOSEN OVER. If you want to select what to give to God and what to take back, might as well start your own program.
Why? Because this is not what Bill and Bob had in mind when they started this amazing program. This is a very simple program for very complicated folks. So follow it TO THE LETTER if you wish to be truly Happy, Joyous, and Free.
It has worked so well for me that, whenever I am feeling a little wonky, I come back to the 3rd Step. Much more often than not, this is where I find my answer. You can too! Thank you, God!
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