Quote:
August 08, 2014
Responsible recovery
Page 230
". . .we accept responsibility for our problems and see that we're equally responsible for our solutions."
Basic Text, p. 94
Some of us, well accustomed to leaving our personal responsibilities to others, may attempt the same behavior in recovery. We quickly find out it doesn't work.
For instance, we are considering making a change in our lives, so we call our sponsor and ask what we should do. Under the guise of seeking direction, we are actually asking our sponsor to assume responsibility for making decisions about our life. Or maybe we've been short with someone at a meeting, so we ask that person's best friend to make our apologies for us. Perhaps we've imposed on a friend several times in the last month to cover our service commitment. Could it be that we've asked a friend to analyze our behavior and identify our shortcomings, rather than taking our own personal inventory?
Recovery is something that has to be worked for. It isn't going to be handed to us on a silver platter, nor can we expect our friends or our sponsor to be responsible for the work we must do ourselves. We recover by making our own decisions, doing our own service, and working our own steps. By doing it for ourselves, we receive the rewards.
Just for Today: I will accept responsibility for my life and my recovery.
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For me that is walking your talk. Do people look at you and see change? I found that others saw it before I did.
With me, what you see is what you get. If you met me in person, you would know me. That is why I had difficulty not getting out to meetings. My friend B. is celebrating next Friday and has asked me to go with him. I think it is the big 3 0, this year, or the one just before it.
I am going to make the effort even though it isn't wheel chair accessible and has lots of stairs. I know it will put me down for the count for a couple of days, but that is okay, I choose to support him.
I am responsible when anyone anywhere who reaches out for help, I want the hand of recovery to be there, no matter what fellowship it is. I qualify for a lot of them. I found that they are all based on AA, so try to keep it basic. It isn't the substance that is the problem, it is the thoughts behind why I used and what took me to active addiction, and kept me on the insanity of active addiction, until I came to a decision to change and found the willingness to reach out and ask for help.
I was addicted to pills (dried up alcohol), alcohol, food, men, work, relationships, gambling (Nevada Tickets and Bejewelled 1, 2, and 3) and my computer, or any other person, place or thing that becomes 'more' and I know I am in addiction, and heading for a relapse.
When you walk into a meeting of recovery, you are taking the first part of Step One.