Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2015

[bluidkiti]

September 14

Quote of the Week

"People who try to figure it out, go back out."

I like to think of myself as a pretty smart guy, and when I was new to the program, I kept trying to figure out how the program worked and why my sponsor wanted me to do certain things. For example, when he told me to put the chairs away after a meeting or pick up cigarette butts, I was offended. "What's that got to do with me getting sober?" I'd ask. "Are you willing to do what we do around here?" He'd ask. I was, and so I took his suggestions.

There are a lot of other pretty smart people who come into the program and when given the same direction, they baulk and need to first figure out how it all works. They constantly ask questions and when I give them the simple answers as to why it has worked for me and countless others, they just keep asking. Their resistance to follow direction and unwillingness to do the work just hides an ego that hasn't surrendered yet. Unfortunately, this insistence on figuring it out often leads them to go back out.

Fortunately for me, I had hit a bottom that allowed me to be completely willing and open to suggestions. I surrendered to the Group Of Drunks (G.O.D.) because they could do something I couldn't - stay sober and improve their lives. As my sponsor told me, "Your best thinking got you into the rooms, so stop trying to figure it out and just follow direction."

I did and my life got better, and over ten years later, I haven't found it necessary to go back out.