June 29 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 6 Spiritual Willingness Alcoholics Anonymous Today's AA daily reflection: "a rippling effect…" First I had to learn how to be sober just for a day. Then I applied myself as if I were taking a higher education certificate to understanding the twelve steps and twelve traditions. Then I had to understand that the learning was in action, putting these principles into action so I understood how they work just for a day…
In my early days, because of my background in helping people and organisations be successful, I could see a grandiose plan to become expert as a counsellor and director within some form of organisation helping people to recovery. After a while, my first realisation was I had burned out as a counsellor in the old ways, and the best I can do in the fellowship is be equal and part of something far bigger than me. One voice, with all the other voices sharing about experience, strength and hope on a daily basis…
Unity, service and recovery are the three legacies encompassed in the twelve traditions. We are all equal, we all help each other in so many ways, just by being there in meetings, to being of service to a meeting and all the other service elements which are open to anyone and everyone. No single person in charge, agreement in our meetings are run through the group conscience and we are all trusted servants, no matter who we are and where we are today…
And as we learn through experience how the principles, the twelve steps and twelve traditions work within the fellowship, we learn how the principles work in our daily living, in family, in our community and in our society. It is never about what other people do, it is about what we do and how we develop humility, leadership when necessary, included as a participant as daily living requires. And it may only be just for a day… Or a week, or a year, and thankfully always one day at a time…
AA Daily Reflections ~ "A rippling effect: June 29 ~ Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everyone else how. . .Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams. How natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt idealists … So why shouldn't we share our way of life with everyone? [12&12]
The great discovery of sobriety led me to feel the need to spread the "good news" to the world around me. The grandiose thoughts of my drinking days returned. Later, I learned that concentrating on my own recovery was a full-time process. As I became a sober citizen in this world, I observed a rippling effect which, without any conscious effort on my part, reached any "related facility or outside enterprise," without diverting me from my primary purpose of staying sober and helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Choices in Recovery: To be open honest and willing, or to be closed dishonest and unwilling? Progress as we let go our addictions to control, fear, our brave face and unhelpful ego. Shared truth illuminates our choices, the choices of those we love. Responsibly we live our consequences...
Removing our blocks, step 6... A daily meditation to have the courage to tell the truth to those we love and those who love us. When we choose silence, feel anger and resentment, denial blocks us, deprives those around us of choice. Have faith in truth setting everyone we love free today...
What will happen to me if I tell the truth, try to be open and honest. As I may fear my consequences, so too those who know me might fear my attempt to be truthful. If I ask them what they know and ask them for the truth as they see it, how will I cope with their knowledge of me and my past?
I feel we can love people who have been in our lives and hate the way they behaved at the time. Knowing that people do their best, even when it feels like the worst for us, we need forgive and share our outlook, or how else will we make progress toward truth, love and wisdom today. If I choose not to tell you the truth, I will never know the truth in you…
June 29 2007
Hard times - DonInLondon ‘Day In The Life’
How do we cope with news we would prefer never happens? The stuff of living and the stuff of hard times. I have had a few hard times myself and very rough experiences do tend to put the whole of life into some perspective. Some things we have to face, well there is nothing to prepare for some things.
Denial
The first part of the process of digesting horrible truths, those “I can’t believe it moments.” and yet again here I am feeling and knowing something I would rather not know and am powerless over. The trouble with our fellowship sometimes is we are constantly reminded of our dangerous past as fellows stay in the fellowship or wander out for more research. And when people do go out, the anger and frustration they have about their situation can end up as bad as can be. At the bottom of the journey through denials we cannot get to grips with is depression of course. And then a gradual return to reality.
Tonight and Last night
Sometimes being in a meeting can take our mind off things a while, but when sad news fills our heads it’s pretty hard.
I was doing a “chair” last night, meaning I do the first share at a meeting and it was what we call a step and tradition meeting. Steps of AA are recommendations to change and traditions are the principle which keeps the fellowship on track and in reasonable shape, given of course we are all alcoholics in sobriety.
Last night’s traditions meeting was all about 6, that AA does not involve itself in outside matters and sticks to the pattern of helping people achieve sobriety and stick with it. And if we cannot stick with it, we keep on coming back so we eventually get it into our minds we need never drink again.
But we know it’s not that easy and often without realising what is going on we can fall straight back into the mire of active alcoholism. It’s just a fact of life it may happen when we are least aware of risk and ruin.
Tomorrow I am heading for the Soho Alcohol Treatment Centre for an after care group. Its run by the National health Service, and I was lucky enough to hear of them after I self discharged from rehab some years back. I went there and stuck with everything they had to teach us over a twelve or twenty four month allotment depending on the problems we had.
Type 1 Diabetes
It was while attending the Soho Treatment Service I got ill with diabetes. What happened? Well it was quite simple, I had every test available to me to check my internal workings and all was well. Until I had a tooth out. It was a difficult extraction, the tooth seemed happy to stay put and me and the dentist were pretty relieved when the pesky bugger did come out. But that event I am led to believe brought on a shock or some other chain of events which led to non-production of insulin and me starving. Without insulin we don’t break down food I understand now. Anyway whatever the cause, it is in my opinion moot and I don’t mind if it were all my doing and the cause being drink, it could have been. So!
We Get Ill
And like most people along this path of self destruction and turnaround into sobriety. Well we get to see many founder and many get other ailments too. So I felt ok about what had happened, I had a long few months wondering before people thought it was not just in my head, and my thinner figure was quite alarming to me as I was eating more and more.
In the end though I was glad of the diagnosis, if less happy about the injections and stuff, but I learned quickly and realised I could continue my path.
Soho is part of my recovery story, as is type 1 diabetes and clinical depression. The truth of all this is on a daily basis with AA in my life I keep well as can be and behave as best I can to keep body and soul going.
Life is not easy, and many people I knew when I embarked on this journey are no longer alive. And there is still some sad parts and really angry parts of me which does not lend my outlook to serenity and peace.
I am as angry as anyone can be when I see good people find hard times.
Life on life’s terms, it’s a real old saying in our fellowship, and I guess I have always been half prepared for more news and my vulnerabilities to other things. Like Diabetic neuropathy which is very painful all the time without medication.
All These Things
And yes I am far from perfect and eat Twix bars sometimes. But then that’s really got to stop. And back to porridge for me or my cholesterol will never be at the right level.
A Catalogue of Woe?
Not really for all this and more, I can get about some of the time, and take photos and have some fun as well, even with a clinical depression it’s not always bad, indeed there have been a couple of times when things have been ok. Sadly a regime change may make life a bit more difficult for now and a change from one form of pain relief to another is my next step.
Life in London
Its Wimbledon fortnight, the rain is daily, the Tony Blair has gone and Gordon Brown is the new Prime Minister. I expect the rain will end, but Mr brown is set to be with us for a while and may lead to further depressions in the UK. We don’t know of course, and somehow I feel it could be good for us and Gordon, just depends what he has to do and what is possible.
My Life
Is as usual, up and down, with some support required inside the family and things to do. I await and hope there is anything I can do.
Meanwhile I have uploaded some music from a busker in Trafalgar Square I saw this afternoon and my usual You tube video.
I am not sure what I may do in the next few days, I feel the need of a break and have not made up my mind quite what yet. I will seek advice from my mentor on this, they often know so much more than me. Glad they do!
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AA Official Online Site: Daily Reflections
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
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Step 6 "Spiritual Willingness" Reading Video Link:
wrongs. Chapter 6, Into Action, Big Book From: Page 72 Thru: Page 75, the bottom of the page. 12 And 12 Step 5."
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June ~ Video Reading Chapter Six Into Action Link:
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me "truth," "love" and "wisdom" offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the Traditions: steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
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Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
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