Working The Program

[majestyjo]

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book



With the first three steps, you get the courage to work the rest. When you work the rest, you get rid of the garbage so you can work the first three.

This could have been posted this any where under any fellowship, but the 12 Steps I realized are a common denominator. It doesn't matter how we have experienced alcohol, it has affected just about all of us. With NA and Nar-Anon, it may not have been alcohol, but they often either start there and go onto other things or try to taper off their drug of choice by using alcohol.



I am powerless over alcohol, I need to get honest and surrender to the program. I need to find a Higher Power that works for me. I need to build trust and a relationship with this Source of Power that can do for me, what I can't do for myself. Then I have to decide whether I am going to stay or go back out. I have to decide to put my life into the care of the God of my understanding. I had to learn to trust the program and see that it could work for me.



It is about recognizing that this is a family disease, that all members need the application of the 12 Steps to heal mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.



They work if I work for them. I have a right to exercise my judgment, change my mind, look at life from a new perspective, and allow myself to be my own person.

[majestyjo]

It is important to have a sponsor.

That has been one thing that is constant in my recovery, and yet ironically, the same sponsor through out my recovery hasn't happened. I have been fired, I have been taken back on, at my request. I have had an AA, NA, and Al-Anon sponsor, I have had an AA, and an AA co-Sponsor, a Native American woman I was working with at the time, different combinations, my second Al-Anon sponsor passed away on Monday. My 1st Al-Anon sponsor and I were co-sponsoring each other when she passed away. When I asked the sponsor who passed away to go through the Blue Prints to Progress by Al-Anon and she dropped me as a sponsor. She said she had nothing to give me. I had trouble understanding it. We had about the same time in the fellowship, we had both come from abusive marriages and we both had sons who were addicts. She told me that every time I shared at a meeting, her mouth was opened in awe with what I shared, and I couldn't understand this because we both had about the same amount of time in the program. I wish we could have shared more.

[majestyjo]

Negative forces are those powers that tell you that you ar hopeless and useless, that tell you not to pray and meditate because there is nothing in meditation. While positive forces make you feel that you are God's chosen child and that you have the possibility of doing something significant for good and for your own Divinity at every moment. If you remain in the heart (soul) you will encounter very few negative forces. But if you live in the mind, the negative forces will threaten you often.



- Samuel Thadeus Short



Take time to listen to the children playing. From their laughter, learn lessons in innocence. From their openness, learn lessons in trust. From their guilelessness, learn lessons in truthfulness and sincerity. It isn't maturity that robs us of these virtues: It is immaturity, embittered by disappointment. With maturity comes understanding; from understanding comes acceptance; and from acceptance, finally, comes wisdom.



From Do It Now!, by J. Donald Walters



O M S H A N T I



Please include a link back to The Antesian Road To Enlightenment in forwarded material, Thank you EXPANDING CONSCIOUSNESS

[e-mail]

The longest journey is from the head to the heart. Where are you travelling today? Are you on the road or taking a scenic route? Have you arrived at your destination or are you still isolated and stuck in the power of thought and unable to take action to the next step?

This may have originated on this site, posted it in response to another girl's post.

[majestyjo]

This comes from a newsletter in Malaysia, don't even remember how I connected with it, and I have deleted piles of them, and still have folders of them filed away. I just don't have the time to process them all. The material was on my sites, but I have more up-to-date material now I should look at. There just isn't enough me to go around.



I have a different view for the post part, people say, "Oh that is negative, forget it!" I say "No." Nothing in life is all negative." They will discount it. They miscount it and miss out on a very useful gem. They see something and think, "Oh, that is positive, "I want that, but they don't look closely, and perhaps there is a tiny flaw." We are not all good or bad, positive or negative, and for me, recovery, is about learning to find the balance in our life. Nurturing our weaknesses and allowing them to grow stronger. Supporting our strengths so they don't grow weak. Just because we have in today, doesn't mean we will have it in tomorrow. Fibromyalgia has taught me a lot about that.


Acceptance is the key in today.


I am an Aries, and I have been trying for balance ALL of my life. My opposite sign is Libra, Mr. Balance Himself. I know one, he drive me crazy.

[majestyjo]

Quote:

My life is none of my business. I just suit up, show up; be an example of AA and leave the rest to God. - Sharon B.



Alkiespeaks



Was told this by my spiritual advisor many years ago. Suit up, show up, and the rest will follow. If you have recovery, show it. Clean up your mouth, clean up your mouth, clean up your act, work the steps, and before you know it, you will see God working in your life.



Quote:

Walk Softly and carry a Big Book - Quote:



Encouragement from an old-timer can turn a newcomer's life around.

I was told to stick with the old-timers. I said, "Where do you find them. I had trouble finding the women, unless you went to their group, and you knew what group they belong to, you were out of luck. I was fortunate, back then I was able to travel and went from one end of the city to the other. I said, "God you protect me in the day, so I need you to protect me in the night. I need to go out to these meetings. Please take away the fear, lead, guide and protect in all things, Amen. In the 12 years all I met up with was a drunk passed out between the apartment doors in my building. I learned to walk tall with confidence, be my own person, own my own space, and walked like I had a right to be there and knew were I was going, to an AA meeting and no one was going to stand in my way. A little faith will take you a long way.


Quote:

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book



Don't try to be normal; try to be healthy.

Normal is what is normal for me, and that isn't always healthy.



When I compare myself to others, I stay sick. It is not healthy to think of myself better or worse than someone else. I need to be me. This is a program of reflections. If I see something in someone that I don't like, then I need to look within myself to see the root of the problem.



Quote:

Time for Joy - Book - Quote



Today I know that I can get through anything that happens in this day with the help of my Higher Power.

No matter what is uncovered, experienced, addressed, thought, etc. My God will see me through it, direct me, and give me the courage, strength and knowing that I need in today. All I have to do is put myself in my HP's Care.



I had to make my relationship with my Higher Power. I had to build a relationship with Him/Her. Using the Eleventh Step made that possible.

[majestyjo]

Quote:

Easy Does It - 9/27/2004 - Spot Checks



I'm slipping when I shrink from self-examination. -Anonymous



Working our Program smooths our path to a new way of life. We must keep following the simple instructions outlined in the Steps. One of these is to continue to take a personal inventory and whenever we are wrong, promptly admit it. When we do this Step each day, mole- hills don't become mountains. If we don't continue with spot-check inventories, we allow garbage to build up once again in our lives. We've seen that a buildup of resentment and guilt can lead to trouble. Stinking thinking thrives on this garbage. If we shrink from self-examination, fear creeps back into our lives. Fear pushes out faith. Without faith we lose our recovery.



My daily spot-check inventory is one of the important things that keeps my Program working.

Step Ten is a maintenance Step. People told me in early recovery that I couldn't work it until I did the first nine Steps.



I found life much easier when I lived this step, and although I had more understanding after doing the other Steps, I truly think I would have relapsed if I hadn't instituted this Step into my life in early recovery.



One of my biggest and most valuable lesson was, "When ever you point a finger at someone, you have three coming back at you." What I learned was that this is a program of reflection; and every time I saw something in someone else, it was a reflection of my self (it takes one to know one), be it positive or negative. It was how I learned that I was worthy of recovery because I could see the goodness in others. I learned to look for the goodness, because no one person, place or thing, is all bad or good. We are not bad people, we are sick people who have a disease and we are looking to get well and recover from this dis-ease of living, and heal one day at a time.


Quote:

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Where do you find recovery? Twelve steps past any lengths.



Are we willing to go to any length to find peace and serenity?

Are we willing to go to any length to stay clean and sober?

Are we willing to work the Steps and travel the road to recovery?



When I came in, I was willing to do what was suggested. I was even willing to do what I was told, maybe not at first , but I came to realize, if I wanted to get well, the blueprint was there for me to follow.



I was willing to get a home group, get a sponsor and get involved in service. I would not have the recovery that I have today if I hadn't got involved in service. It was a vital part of my recovery and still is today.



When I couldn't find the willingness within myself, I had to pray for the willingness to be willing!



Going back to where I came from was not an option.

A friend who kept relapsing, whenever he had money, kept saying to me, "It is only suggestions, there are no have tos." I said, there are no have tos, but there are some darn well betters or you will go back out and use again.



I met him at a coffee shop, and he looked like the wrath of God and I told him so. I said, "You are going to have to "Sh*t" or get off the pot." Not many days later, he showed up at my place. He is general very well groomed, and he looked like he had been run over by a car. I said, "Oh, so you decided to sh*t eh!" Not very long ever that, he went away to treatment and the last time I saw him, he had 18 month of sobriety.



One of his favourite lines was, "I'm not as bad as him." He kept comparing and stayed sick. At the beginning of recovery, I did the same thing. It didn't matter what I used or where it took me, it was what it did to me when I picked it up. It changed me. I didn't want to continue changing in that direction.



One day at a time, I choose not to use. One day at a time, I choose to walk the 12 Steps of recovery.

[caressa222]

Was thinking of this today.