Recovery Is Available Now

”A community thirty miles away has fifteen fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous. Being a large place, we think that someday its fellowship will number many hundreds. But Life among alcoholics anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals, cleaning up scrapes, helping to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when justified -these are everyday occurrences. No one is discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially.” - pg. 161 from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

There exists among us a fellowship of men, and young people that share their experience strength and hope. There is a joy emanating from us because we are aware of how blessed we are to have been able to receive detox and get sober. When we first get sober many of us had very little hope left. We might have thought we had exhausted our chances at recovering but we were pleasantly surprised to find that through going through Above It All Treatment, AA, or addiction rehabilitation that we all had a chance at happiness and getting sober. If you are struggling there is still hope for you all you need to do is reach out, have faith, and have a desire to change the way you are living. The fact is that through sobriety you never have to feel this way or go through anything alone again. We have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body and we are here to help show you how you can recover too. 

Step 3 | Cleaning House

“Maybe this all sounds mysterious and remote, something like Einstein's theory of relativity or a proposition in nuclear physics. It isn't at all. Let's look at how practical it actually is. Every man and woman who has joined A.A. and intends to stick has, without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three. Isn't it true that in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of Alcoholics Anonymous? Already willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A. Any willing newcomer feels sure A.A. is the only safe harbor for the foundering vessel he has become. Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a newfound Providence, then what is it? But suppose that instinct still cries out, as it certainly will, "Yes, respecting alcohol, I guess I have to be dependent upon A.A., but in all other matters I must still maintain my independence. Nothing is going to turn me into a nonentity. If I keep on turning my life and my will over to the care of something or somebody else, what will become of me? I'll look like the hole in the doughnut." This, of course, is the process by which instinct and logic always seek to bolster egotism, and so frustrate spiritual development. The trouble is that this kind of thinking takes no real account of the facts.”-from the chapter on Step Three from The AA Twelve and Twelve

Many of us as alcoholics feel like we have already made a big enough sacrifice when we get to the point of going into a drug addiction detox, AA, or Above It All Drug Rehab. Alcohol was our solution to everything and here we were faced with having to give it up as well as turn our will and life over to a power greater than ourselves. How were we supposed to do that? Through doing the work, getting alcohol and drug rehab, and realizing that we suffered not just from a phenomenon of craving but also from a spiritual malady we were able to start building a foundation for our sobriety. Through cleaning house, trusting God, and working with others we were able to see our lives change for the better. The more that we continue this practice the more free we get to be.

Working With Others

“We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help.” - pg. 84 from the chapter entitled “ Into Action” from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

After we have gone through alcohol addiction detox, AA, or Above It All Treatment and have picked up the tools needed in order to live a sober life it is imperative that we “pay it forward” and start helping others. When we start feeling uneasy or our character defects start cropping up then nothing will insure immunity from the first drink like extensive work with a newcomer. Through providing addiction treatment to someone else we are able to get out of ourselves and are able to see things from a different perspective. Through working with others we are able to recall where we came from as well as provide hope to people with less experience , or time sober than us. When we approach life from an altruistic angle we are able to have gratitude for the things that we have as opposed to focusing on the things we don’t. When we take contrary action we are able to start over and change our perception.