May 6, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Monday, May 6, 2024

“Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, Ch 5, Third Edition, 1976, p 58.

Today, if I feel insecure and tempted to drink, I have to ask if I am one of those who is “constitutionally incapable” of being honest with myself. If I am, I need to ask if I have rejected the Program’s first four words: “Admitted (I am) powerless …”  And if I have not taken Step One, then it’s apparent that I want to drink more than I want to recover. But if I am honest in trying to get with the Program but still struggle, maybe I am not doing it   “One Day at a Time” and thinking in terms of the rest of my life without drinking. The “cure” to that line of thought is simple: today is all any of us has with no guarantee of tomorrow. I need only to think of the rest of my life as today. And, today, I ask if I am constitutionally capable of honesty — first with myself. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2024