July 9, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Tuesday, July 9, 2024

“If you think you are an atheist, an agnostic, a skeptic or have any other form of intellectual pride which keeps you from accepting what is in this book, I feel sorry for you. If you still think you are strong enough to beat the game alone, that is your affair. But if you really and truly want to quit drinking liquor for good and all and sincerely feel that you must have some help, we know that we have an answer for you. It never fails, if you go about it with one-half the zeal you have been in the habit of showing when you were getting another drink.
“Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Part 1 (“Doctor Bob’s Nightmare”), p 181.

Today, timeless wisdom that echoes through the years, and its message is simple: do I earnestly thirst sobriety and recovery, or am I copping out with “intellectual pride” to dismiss any 12-Step program as ineffective? If I am desperate enough to want to stop drinking and begin recovery, I need to discard any skewed or phony intelligence and “go to any lengths” to sober up. But if I am not yet willing to yield to the Program because of some intellectual skepticism or an unwillingness to believe that a power stronger than myself may actually exist, maybe I’m not yet desperate enough to “go to any lengths” — or I’ve not yet hit my bottom. Today, my intelligence and pride that probably enabled my drinking go down the toilet — along with the vomit from last night’s drunk. Today, I’ve hit my bottom. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2024