The most dynamic part of our makeup is our powerful thought process. We THINK ourselves into our problems and FEEL ourselves back into Serenity. Did you ever see a miserable, spiteful newborn who was hung up during its delivery because it was giving the finger to someone and got it snagged in its mother? No, it cries for joy and doesn’t take long to learn to smile. It wasn’t until we were told “no.” Scolded. Yelled at or around. Hit. Heard and saw discord around us between others. This started to think that maybe it was brought on by us. So it must be our fault.
As we have said before, we are Spiritual Beings. We are living in a Spiritual Universe. The universe is governed by Spiritual Law. So, as Divine Beings, we are individualized expressions of God. Also, one with all that exists. This is never changing. We are never any more or less spiritual as the instance was when we entered this human experience. The ONLY thing that changes is our powerful thought about it. When our Creator made us, He included free will in the mix. What does this have to do with the topic? Only everything!
“There is a problem so it must be my fault.” So we cry We pout. We shout. Then later curse. We argue. And fight. This is all because of our powerful thought process. So, step back and look at it through the eyes of another. If it is natural and real it is inborn. If it is discordant, we have thought into it. This is why I try to learn about anything important by using my heart or gut. Not try to mess it up with my head. Head learning is what we did when in school. We crammed before an exam and and then quickly forgot most of it as soon as the exam was finished. Heart learning remains because we FEEL it.
The wonderful Program of AA was put together by people using their hearts. This was because heads led us so far astray. If I have a problem with ANYTHING, it is because of my head. My heart says “Love.” My head says “Fight.” If the problem is sparked by someone else, it is their head that is the instigator. If it becomes my problem, too, it is because I responded to a “headache” with my own head thoughts. Should have used my heart thoughts, instead. No one else should be allowed to mess with my Happiness, Joy, or Freedom of Choice. No one else is responsible for me to be Happy, Joyous, or Free. ONLY I AM! This is another example of something being very simple but not always easy.
If I want what you have because you are not only not drinking but also truly Happy, Joyous, and Free, it is up to me to either say and do the same things as you. Remember The Serenity Prayer. It reminds us that the ONLY thing that we can change is ourselves. Now, that is a powerful thought.
Sobriety is so much more than simply stopping drinking. When one stops drinking or drugging, one has a void. This void must be filled. Picture a basin full of water. Stick your hand in the water. Now take it out. Water immediately fills the space where your hand was. The void in our own head when something is removed is no different. SOMETHING fills this void. Another powerful thought!
This is where freedom of choice comes into play. Use your sobriety and powerful thought process to CHOOSE sobriety, not just dryness. Sobriety means fill the void with gratitude, thanksgiving, and love. Dryness leads to stinking thinking. The only way that I know to do this is to just say the shortened version of the 3rd Step. “God Help Me.” Then JUST DO IT! What do you want? Really crave? Are you willing to go to any lengths to get it? You are only one that can keep you away from achieving it. Don’t let your powerful thoughts stop you. WORD!!! TRUTH!!!
More can be found on our other pages. We have an AA Zoom meeting, blogs, and a podcast. Also, a Facebook page. They are updated regularly. We hope that you will join us on these sites. Please comment so that we can share with each other our experiences, strengths, and hopes. The Zoom meeting is every Monday through Friday, 3:00 PM EST. Meeting ID is 6035280704. Password 399778. To locate the blogs and Facebook pages, simply search @Spiritualityandrecovery. For the podcast, search Spotify.com for Spiritualityandrecovery. On iPhone say “Hey Siri, Play the podcast Spiritualityandrecovery”