HOPE

Few experiences are of less value to me than fast sobriety. Too many times discouragement has been the bonus for unrealistic expectations, not to mention self-pity or fatigue from my wanting to change the world by the weekend. Discouragement is a warning signal that I may have wandered across the God line. The secret of fulfilling my potential is in acknowledging my limitations and believing that time is a gift, not a threat.

One foot in front of the other.

Recovering men(women) know this path is not always easy. We usually talk about the benefits of recovery and the many promises of the program. Today, in our fellowship, we talk of the challenges we must face in order to recover. Honesty may be the greatest challenge. It is frightening to be honest with ourselves about things we have never really admitted or faced before.

Sometimes we have new and confusing feelings and think something must be wrong with us. But we may be just experiencing the logical outcome of our earlier commitment to be honest.

Resentments

This program promises many rewards for those who follow it, but it does not promise to be easy. We search our conscience for resentments and face them. No man can progress in his recovery while holding onto resentments, old angers, and hatreds. When we hold them, we protect dark corners of our souls from the renewal we need. As we allow ourselves to be made new through this program, we no longer reserve those small corners for the game of power and resentment. They will eventually consume us and justify in our minds a return to the old patterns.

Nothing can be held back. We must be willing to surrender all - even if we do not know how. No one can stop being resentful simply by deciding to stop.

THE PROMISES

When I first came into program and heard these words I couldn't grasp their meaning. Life baffled me. I had no idea who I was or what I was doing. I was completely in the grip of this disease. I felt like I was the disease. Why would God do anything for me?

Initially I thought these people were crazy and even worse off than I was. My opinion soon changed when I noticed wonderful differences between them and myself. They seemed calmer, verbalized their feelings more clearly, appeared to have their act together, and seemed to enjoy life. I was hooked! I wanted what they had. I finally wanted to want to live. I was drawn to those who demonstrated traits I wanted to have. I talked to them and listened when they shared. I asked them how to work the program and how to find my Higher Power. I started working the Steps. I began my search for a God I could relate to. I found online recovery loops and people who shared how they worked their program.

Variety in experiences

Variety in experiences is necessary for our continued growth. We mistakenly think that the "untroubled" life would be forever welcome. It's the deep waves of life that teach us to be better swimmers.

We don't know how to appreciate the calm without the occasional storm that pushes us to new limits of ourselves. The calm following the storm offers us the time we need to become comfortable with our new growth.

Some Big Book Promises

Many of us have heard of the Ninth Step Promises from page 83-84 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are, however, additional promises in the Big Book.

PROMISES OF STEP ONE

*have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Title Page*suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol-Doctors Opinion pg 5
*I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. pg8
*I was to know happiness, peace and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes pg 8
*I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator, that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. pg 13
*If he did not work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely die.  pg 15
*But, there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful pg 16


PROMISES OF STEP TWO
*Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. pg 12
*A new world came into view. pg 12
*Common sense would thus become uncommon sense. pg 13*We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed. pg 25