Turning Outward

The joy of living is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step, and action is its key word. Here we turn outward toward our fellow alcoholics who are still in distress. Here we begin to practice all Twelve Steps of the program in our daily lives so that we and those about us may find emotional sobriety.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 106

 

The Twelve Steps ~~ a manuscript for rational living.
S T E P S = Solutions Through-Each Positive Step

Searching

Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace
to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. It is a step in the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive God's help.

 

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 98.

The ego seeks the destination; the soul seeks the journey.
H E L P = His Ever-Loving Presence

Spirituality

Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you
from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you
.Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 47
True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess.
A A = Altered Attitudes.

 

A Member Shares:

Hello, my name is Dustin, and I'm a grateful recovering alcoholic. When I first came into recovery I didn't know the difference between spirituality and religion. I thought it was the same thing. I studied it, and for me I found that religion is man-made, but spirituality is God-given; it’s the part within ourselves that everybody has. It’s a spirit that leads us if we chose to follow it. People used to tell me to follow my heart, and I have found that to be a bad idea. When I’m emotional my heart lies to me, it’s deceiving. I have found it better to follow the spirit which God has instilled in me and to lead my heart by that spirit. The only thing I ever did religiously was to drink morning, noon and night. I break spirituality down: the last part is ritual -- something I must do morning noon and night to strive for that progress, pray, and listen. Thank God this is not a religious program, but a spiritual one. I was once told by a fellow AA'er, that religion is for people who don't want to go to hell, and spirituality is for people who have been there and back, and wish not to revisit that dark scary place. Hell to me was my life when drinking. I thank the God of my understanding every morning for another day, and every night for leading my spirit down the path He would have me go, not the one I would choose. Thank you all for keeping me sober and making this meeting possible -- I love and wish nothing but the best for you all! Thanks for letting me share.

Bill's Story

"It relieved me somewhat to learn that in alcoholics the will is amazingly weakened when it comes to combating liquor, though it often remains strong in other respects. My incredible behavior in the face of a desperate desire to stop was explained. Understanding myself now, I fared forth in high hope. For three or four months the goose hung high. I went to town regularly and even made a little money. Surely this was the answer--self-knowledge."

 __Bill Wilson.

Source: c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill's Story, p. 7

 

 

"No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions.I had met my match. Alcohol was my master."
__Bill Wilson.

Source: c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill's Story, p.8.

"My intellectual heroes, the chemists, the astronomers, even the evolutionists, suggested vast laws and forces at work. Despite contrary indications, I had little doubt that a might purpose and rhythm underlay all. How could there be so much of precise and immutable law, and no intelligence? I simply had to believe in a Spirit of the Universe, who knew nether time nor limitation. But that was as far as I had gone." __Bill Wilson.

Source: c. 1939, AAWS, Alcohoics Anonymous, Bill's Story, p. 10.

Meditation

We will want the good that is in us all,
even in the worst of us, to flower and grow. But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark. Meditation is our step out into the sun.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 10.

I stood in the sunlight at last.
H O P E = Honest Open Positive Environment.