Daily Reprieve

From the Daily Reflections of December 17;

. . . work with other alcoholics. . . . It works when other activities fail.   (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 89)

“Life will take on new meaning,” as the Big Book says (p. 89). This promise has helped me to avoid self-seeking and self-pity. To watch others grow in this wonderful program, to see them improve the quality of their lives, is a priceless reward for my effort to help others. Self-examination is yet another reward for an ongoing recovery, as are serenity, peace and contentment. The energy derived from seeing others on a successful path, of sharing with them the joys of the journey, gives to my life a new meaning.

END OF QUOTE

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Another human face caught in an alcoholic tragedy is a reflection of my own past struggles.  When I seek to help them, I reach back in time and validate those efforts that brought recovery into my own life.  The opposite effect occurs when I ignore those still suffering.  This is the paradox of the self-preserving altruism practiced in the 12 Step program.

This entry was posted on February 5, 2015 at 4:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized with tags Addiction, Alcoholism, Daily Reflections, Journal, Life, Personal, Recovery, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.