Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019
" ...(O)ur problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a symbol." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 7 ("Working With Others"), p 103.
Today, if alcohol is or was "only a symbol" or a symptom of some other "dis-ease" within me, abstinence alone is not enough to recover. If it were, there would be no use for AA. But the Program were written for a purpose, and the purpose is to treat my entire being and not only the symptoms that fueled my drinking. And, most likely, the root problem is my spiritual and emotional condition that I medicated with alcohol. Just as likely is that if I apply a band-aid of abstinence without treating the wound, the band-aid, like it always does, will lose its adhesiveness, and all my fight against temptation or craving will be for naught. The Steps are the treatment of the disease: the Fourth Step to come to terms with the bankruptcy of my emotional and spiritual psyche, and the 10th Step for maintenance of the Fourth; forgiving others if I expect them to forgive me; and, just as vital, service to others so that I not again become the focus of my world. Today, I look to the Steps to treat my disease, not merely its symptoms. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2019
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