This is a short reflective talk from a member with 50 years of sobriety on what it means to truly 'get the program.' He frames AA as a spiritual rather than religious path, leaning on page 60 of the Big Book and the reminder that we aim for spiritual progress, not perfection. The speakers he has watched live the most serene lives are the ones who understood spirituality the deepest, not those who collected the most meetings.
He walks through the three-fold nature of alcoholism — physical, mental, and spiritual — and warns that many members stop after they put down the drink and never develop the spiritual side. Sobriety, he says quoting Bill W., is only a bare beginning. From the moment of spiritual awakening, the real work is to keep growing in conscious contact through prayer and meditation, and to keep fostering the relationship with a Higher Power.
He describes the fruits of that growth in plain terms: improved family life, better work and finances, and most importantly, the ability to handle any problem that comes. He recommends bookending each day with prayer — starting with a morning quiet time and ending with gratitude to a Heavenly Father — and using brief silent prayers throughout the day when decisions or troubles hit.
He closes with a personal note about an old country song he has played thousands of times that reminds him to walk close to Higher Power. He believes Higher Power was with him in the bar the night he tried to take his last drink, and that staying close through AA has carried him ever since. His final message: take the giant step, live the spiritual life, and the program will work for you too.
Getting the program. It is frequently said in meetings, AA is not a religious program. It is a spiritual program. On page 60 of the big book can be found two profound statements. The point is we are willing to grow along spiritual lines rather than...
Getting the program. It is frequently said in meetings, AA is not a religious program. It is a spiritual program. On page 60 of the big book can be found two profound statements. The point is we are willing to grow along spiritual lines rather than spiritual perfection. In my 50 years in the program, I have come to realize that those who seem to have the greatest understanding of the AA program and have achieved the strongest and most serene lives of sobriety are those who have the greatest understanding of what spirituality is. In the chapter entitled Interaction in the big book, we find on page 83 that the process involved here in order to determine how to live more spiritually. It certainly is not something that is going to be handed out at meetings nor required through repetitious mouthing of certain words. In step 11, we are advised to improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation and thereby improve our spirits with anything that gets better and better with practice. The disease of alcoholism is described as being a three-fold disease. Physical, mental, and the first two phases, physical and mental, can be corrected by not taking any alcohol into our bodies. Once we have accomplished this, it is necessary to... move on to the next and most important phase of our recovery, the development of our spiritual lives. Unfortunately, this is where many people fail. They achieve sobriety, but they are still lacking that key ingredient to enjoy the full nature of the happy and serene life that is possible. Most members of AA can actually describe a particular moment when they experienced a spiritual awakening. In the book, as Bill said, Bill W. asks, Is sobriety all that we can expect of spiritual awakening? No. Sobriety is only a bare beginning. From that inspirational moment of awakening, it is then vitally important to continue on to learn more about what spirituality really means and what our relationship with our higher power should be. Feel that they have not experienced a spiritual awakening yet. That is all the more reason to devote myself more time and effort to prayer and meditation to try to improve your contact with your higher power and foster that relationship. As we grow spiritually in our walk with the God of our understanding, we soon realize that there are dramatic changes taking place in our lives. Relations with others improve. Our family life becomes more harmonious. Sometimes we experience an improvement in our occupation or even an entirely new job. Either of which will provide an upswing in our finances. And of great importance, we gain the ability to handle any and all types of problems. Because regardless of the degree of spirituality we achieve, we will continue to encounter problems in our lives. We will attain a state of security, peace, serenity, and happiness as described in the promises. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten and mentally, and physically. The book says what a wonderful goal to work towards. Establishing a daily pattern of starting each day with a period of prayer and meditation will lay the foundation for a successful day. During each day, when problems arise or important decisions must be made, a brief silent prayer will usually provide the help or answer we need. It may not always be the answer we want, but if we are obedient and follow the suggestion in the long run that the outcome is far better, than anything we could have anticipated. If we have really made the decision to follow the third step and turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, then we will accept whatever answer we receive from our prayers. According to the big book, page 84, 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 a lifetime. Recognizing that God has a purpose, recognizing that God has a plan for the life of each one of us, and being willing to follow that plan makes for a secure and harmonious life. It shouldn't require much thought to realize how taking matters in our own hands and doing whatever we wanted when we were drinking only led to disaster. And by doing God's will instead of our own will lead to a better life in every way. At the end of the day, as we would thank our earthly Father for a gift, it is more important to be sure to thank our Heavenly Father for the day we have just experienced. In fact, an attitude of gratitude is beneficial every hour of every day and results in a greater outpouring as time goes on. There is an old country song that has always been dear to me. It has been recorded by several artists and I have played it thousands of times. And it always impresses upon me the importance of walking close to Him. I know that He was there in the bar and told me when I tried to take that last drink. And since that day I have tried to keep Him close through the program of AA. And thanks to God, it has been successful for me and it can be for you if you will take the giant step and devotedly try to live the spiritual life Bill W. refers to many times in the AA literature.
Discussion
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