Just for Today
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012
" ...(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.
Just for today, if alcohol is or was "only a symbol" or a symptom of some other "dis-ease" within ms, abstinence alone is not enough: if it were, there would be no use for the 12 Steps. But they were developed for a purpose, and the purpose is to treat my entire being and not only the symptoms that might have 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 the 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 dis-ease: the Fourth Step to come to terms with the bankruptcy of my emotional and spiritual psyche and regular maintenance of that Step with the 10th; 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 just the symptom. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012
" ...(O)ur problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a symbol."
Just for today, if alcohol is or was "only a symbol" or a symptom of some other "dis-ease" within ms, abstinence alone is not enough: if it were, there would be no use for the 12 Steps. But they were developed for a purpose, and the purpose is to treat my entire being and not only the symptoms that might have 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 the 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 dis-ease: the Fourth Step to come to terms with the bankruptcy of my emotional and spiritual psyche and regular maintenance of that Step with the 10th; 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 just the symptom. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment