I recently went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Calm down. I am not an alcoholic. But I did find that I had a lot more in common with those dealing with recovery than I ever imagined. The fact is that we all fall upon hard times. And even if one situation seems more extreme than another, the journey to and through recovery is the same.
At this meeting, one of the participants asked me to read the devotion. The quote leading into it read,
" The essence of all growth is a willingness to make a change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails."
I learned a lot from the AA meeting. Way more than I could write. My hope is that these 5 steps will encourage you to grow through whatever it is you may think has you bound. I believe in you.
1. Admitting/Acceptance
The very first of the 12 Steps of AA is "we admitted we are powerless over alcohol- that our lives have become unmanageable." The AA participants made it very clear that this is the most important step of them all. A lot of the time, we spend so much time living make believe lives. The only way we can be freed from an addiction or bad circumstance is to first admit that we have it. So do me a favor. Replace the word alcohol with your situation. You have completed the first step to a healthy recovery.
2. Seek support
When we sat down at the meeting, one of the AA participants said to us "If you want help, this is the only way you are going to get it. You can't do this alone." It is not enough to just admit that you are going through something. If you truly want to recover from it, it is important to seek help. Friends, family, church and group sessions are all great outlets. One thing I want to point out about all of these outlets is that none of them require you to be alone. Although you may feel like dealing with something by yourself is the best idea, it is often not. Surround yourself with those that love you and those you can trust.
3. Know your strengths and weaknesses
It is important to remember that healing and deliverance does not happen over night. Yes, miracles can and do happen. But most things in life require a process, and the process is meant to make you stronger. Using better judgment is essential when trying to grow. You have to know that you can't do everything you use to do, hang out with the same people and go to the same places. This does not mean you are weak. It actually means that you are resisting temptation, which is one of the biggest signs of strength.
4.Believe in something greater than yourself
Through the 12 Steps of AA, the participants recognize that in order to feel better, act better and actually be better, there has to be a larger goal. When faced with difficult situations, it is so easy to feel helpless, useless, and like you have not been making any progress towards your purpose. This is when it is most important to live for something beyond oneself. With patience and proper practice, it will be easier to acknowledge that every day you wake up, you are making some type of progress. You are a step closer to your destiny.
5.Share your story
"I have been clean for 56 days. Hearing you say you have been clean for 4 years gives me hope." That statement was shared at the AA meeting. Never be afraid or too embarrassed to talk about what you have been through. Your past is likely to help someone in their future. The very last step of the 12 Steps of AA reads, "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."No one ever puts a book on the shelf expecting that it will never be read. Consider yourself a book. Your story is unique and has been published for a reason. Don't go unread.
I charge you to change your perspective. Look at your circumstance as a chance to grow and find your life purpose. It has been said that people will be put into situations that bring us to the end of ourselves so that we can begin a new life. We all have been brought to our knees at some point. The key to getting up is knowing that you can. The key to moving forward is knowing what it takes to do so.
I will leave you the same way we left the AA meeting....
"Keep coming back because it works when you're working."
