“I’m too much of a realist to think that I need Spirituality in my life. That it applies to me. I have common sense and who needs anything more?” I do, for one. My common sense, my realistic approach to life, my dependence on myself and my life’s experiences, my knowledge, and on and on, got me to crawl, emotionally, to AA asking, begging, for help. Praying that it applies to me! Why? Because something just was not right in my life. My life had become unmanageable and my tricks were not working anymore.
I didn’t like me so I hated you. If I hated you, I hurt you. If I hurt you, I felt guilty. If I felt guilty, I got remorse and then what does an alcoholic do when remorseful? I drank and returned to the squirrel cage. When startled, a deer runs, a fish swims, and a bird flies. This alcoholic drinks! What could be more natural?
I was the prayer leader when it came to begging God to get me out of any particular mess and saying that I will never do it again. We all know how well that worked, huh? How it Works was read before most meetings when I first came into AA in Detroit. The 2nd paragraph seemed to apply to me and jumped out at me right away. It says “If you want what we have and are willing to go to any lengths to get it, then COD (come on down)” I wanted what you had and was so low in my life that I was willing to go to any lengths. That is how I started my recovery program and still do use it that way. I am still willing to go to any lengths to not only get it but to keep it.
I was the head of the local chapter of Agnostics-R-Us, so to speak. When I not only heard how the practice of Spirituality was greatly improving other people’s lives, but also saw it working in their lives, I wanted it and jumped in head first. Remember, my name is Jim and I am an alcoholic. This means that I don’t get started on anything that I want hesitantly.
If you were to offer me a pill that you say will make me not be an alcoholic any more, my first thought would be “I wonder what 2 would do.” I am addicted to everything, including ice cream, cookies, and the Spiritual directions provided by this fabulous program. It was somewhat awkward at first but, as soon as I started working it and adding the motto “Fake it till you make it,” I started getting everyday demonstrations that it was working. Now that I see that it relates to me, I use it all day long every day. This is how I believe that I have truly become Too Blessed To Be Stressed.
It is there for you to take and use. So, the big question now is: What do you really want? Do you want to be Happy, Joyous, and Free or do you want to continue living just as you do now, with all of the bumpy ups and downs of ski hill moguls? The choice is yours and only yours. Remember The Serenity Prayer. This is you that we are talking about changing here and you are the ONLY one who you can change. So choose wisely!
More can be found on our other pages. We have an AA Zoom meeting, blogs, and a podcast, in addition to our Facebook page. They are updated regularly. We hope that you will join us on these sites and 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“
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