Step by Step
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013
Today, I seek understanding that not drinking or using, by themselves, do not equal sobriety or recovery. Alcoholism, drug addiction and compulsive behavior are three-tiered maladies of the physical, spiritual and emotional; while abstaining treats the first, by itself it neglects the spiritual and emotional. My self-imposed wounds to the spiritual and mental, not to mention to other people like spouses, companions, friends and employers, can only be treated by a basic change within myself. My Fourth Step, if thorough and honest, may show that many of the feelings, perceptions and attitudes toward myself, other people and the world itself were developed in an alcohol- or drug-induced haze. Removing the haze, then, by itself, does not alter those feelings, perceptions and attitudes. Let me then appreciate that the reason for the 12 Steps is required for more than staying off alcohol and any other substance and that they target the spiritual and emotional for treatment. Today, while swearing off alcohol or other substances is a giant step forward, God grant me the intelligence to understand that I must work for recovery and sobriety beyond abstinence alone. On this day, I choose sobriety over dry. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013
Today, I seek understanding that not drinking or using, by themselves, do not equal sobriety or recovery. Alcoholism, drug addiction and compulsive behavior are three-tiered maladies of the physical, spiritual and emotional; while abstaining treats the first, by itself it neglects the spiritual and emotional. My self-imposed wounds to the spiritual and mental, not to mention to other people like spouses, companions, friends and employers, can only be treated by a basic change within myself. My Fourth Step, if thorough and honest, may show that many of the feelings, perceptions and attitudes toward myself, other people and the world itself were developed in an alcohol- or drug-induced haze. Removing the haze, then, by itself, does not alter those feelings, perceptions and attitudes. Let me then appreciate that the reason for the 12 Steps is required for more than staying off alcohol and any other substance and that they target the spiritual and emotional for treatment. Today, while swearing off alcohol or other substances is a giant step forward, God grant me the intelligence to understand that I must work for recovery and sobriety beyond abstinence alone. On this day, I choose sobriety over dry. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013
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