STEP ONE
June 17, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader
Recovery from the effects of an alcoholic and dysfunctional upbringing is a process, not an event.” BRB p. 124
“’Read my book and you can change your life overnight!’ ‘Welcome to my seminar and I’ll give you everything you need!’ We hear things like this all the time. And many of us have bought those books and attended those seminars because we were looking for the quick fix, one that would cause us to suddenly change our dysfunctional lives into what we always thought they should be. Maybe we also heard people say that if we wanted something badly enough, we could make it happen. But we often missed the part about how things worth having take work.
When we came to ACA, maybe we thought it could be our quick fix. We might have seen the 12 Steps as a ‘once and done’ program of recovery where we’d suddenly be cured.
But as we open our minds and embrace the Promises, we begin to really examine our lives. We need to understand where our dysfunctional behaviors came from. And knowing how long it took us to develop them helps us realize that it will probably take some time for us to change those behaviors. We begin to really internalize the fact that recovery is a process. And the ACA process of recovery works if we work it!
On this day I will look for ways that help me make even small changes. I am willing to give my recovery the time it deserves because I’m worth it!”
My Experience:
My favorite section of the bookstore used to be the self-help section. I knew there was something just not right and I thought the right book, the right phrase, etc. would put me on a better path. Don’t get me wrong, those books somewhat helped, but they did not offer the long term changes needed to sustain a much better life. Then I walked into the rooms of recovery. They did not offer a quick fix, they did not tell me what I should and should not do. They offered me tools that have helped countless others, they said the program works if you work it, they intimated that I had control of how I worked the program and how much time I put into the program. I took baby steps, and as I started to see recovery, my steps got bigger and bigger. I now work, what I think, is a pretty solid program where I am attending meetings, speaking in meetings, working the steps, reading, etc. I am also involved with service, including sharing my experiences in this blog. Trust the process and take that first step, I sure am glad I did!!
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