The AA Preamble that we hear before every meeting here ends with “Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” This does not say that this is A purpose but it is OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE. I have seen too many people coming into the program who are instantly an expert on getting sober. Soon comes telling anyone, whether they want to listen or not, how to do it. Then taking another road trip themselves.
The 1st suggestion here in the Preamble is to STAY sober. To do this is NOT the same as stopping drinking. Far from it. Sobriety is composed of so much more than stopping drinking or drugging. As important as stopping drinking is, there is so much more to not only do but also to be gifted with from our Higher Power. We have quit before. Many of us many times. Quitting drinking is NOT being sober. It is an important ingredient but only one of a large menu of ingredients to get and stay sober.
How do we STAY sober? We work the program of AA in our everyday lives, 24/7/365/ Not just at AA meetings. At first, this seems like too big a task. But, if we are really ready to exchange our misery for serenity, we will look much deeper into the program. “How do I do it?” one may ask. Find someone that has a program that we admire and copy them. “Fake it ‘till we make it.” If they say something, say it too. Even if we don’t know what it means or how. If this person or people do something, do it too.
How do we know what to look for or what to do? We start out saying the shortened version of the 3rd Step, “God Help Me.” This simple prayer to our Higher Power, no matter what our Higher Power is, works wonders. Even miracles. This simple prayer is best used before doing anything at all. Remember, we are trying to change our lives from total chaos and misery to Serenity and Joy and Freedom. In this case, after saying “God Help Me,” the inspiration for just the right thing to do or not do will appear.
So, what does this mean regarding our Primary Purpose? We have discovered that we have not been successful at all using so many other methods of getting sober. We now have seen many in the program who are Happy, Joyous, and Free. They said that, to even think of getting that way, they decided to try what had worked for millions of others before them.
Enter the Spiritual part of the program. It seemed to work for many others so why not try it? Before starting anything, say “God Help Me.” Then get out of the way and let Him! If someone seems to be working a successful program say and do just what they do. Whether believed or not. This was best explained to me early in the program when I was told to “Fake it until I made it.” I was willing to go to any lengths so I started out faking everything. If your purpose is to get and remain sober, just do this. It didn’t take long until I didn’t think that I was faking it any more or copying another. It felt like it was original for me.
I had no religious or spiritual background so I even faked this, to begin with. Soon, I started feeling and demonstrating the results of prayer and asking my Higher Power, who I now call God, for help and actually GETTING IT. I was becoming truly Happy, Joyous, and Free. When this happens, then it is time to make a point of trying to help others. Actually, we are helping others by just showing up at AA meetings and sharing our story.
When we remember to ask for God’s help and then take it, things just keep on getting better every day. How long can this last? It can and will last just as long as we keep using this simple, but not always easy, method. Simply ask God for help. Then actually look and listen for it and do it. It just depends on what your real purpose for entering the AA Program is. If it can work for me it surely can and will work for you. God bless you all!
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More can be found on our other pages. We have an AA Zoom meeting, blogs, and a podcast. Also our Facebook page. They are updated regularly. We hope that you will join us on these sites. And 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. It is simple to locate the blogs and Facebook pages. Just search @Spiritualityandrecovery. For the podcast, search Spotify.com for Spiritualityandrecovery. On iPhone say “Hey Siri, Play the podcast Spiritualityandrecovery.” Or, on Android “Hey, Google. Play the Jim Boylan podcast.”
