Friday, July 21, 2017
"Could I be an alcoholic without some of the hair-raising experiences I had heard of in meetings? The answer came to me very simply in the first step of the Twelve Steps of AA. 'We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.' This didn't say we had to be in jail, 10, 50 or 100 times. It didn't say I had to lose one, five or 10 jobs. It didn't say I had to lose my family. It didn't say I had to finally live on skid row and drink bay rum, canned heat or lemon extract. It did say, 'admitted I was powerless over alcohol; that my life had become unmanageable.'" - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Part II ("They Stopped in Time"), Ch. 10 ("It Might Have Been Worse"), p 379.
Today, no excuses, no justifications, no rationalizations, no comparisons, no "I didn't get that bad," no fear, no shame, no anguish - only sheer guts and courage: "I am powerless." Enough is enough. No more rejecting the idea of a higher power. I have seen and lived in the darkest of places. If something so powerful like alcohol can take me there, maybe something stronger can lead me on blind faith to a better place. Today, I control that over which I am powerless by saying, "No more!" No more. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2017
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