Ooops. I was re-reading the Tenth Step in the 12&12 and ran across (more stumbled) a line I’m not sure I liked. Bill was talking about the fact that through the ages wise people (and I’m not one of them), not only continually surveyed what was wrong with them, but continuously tried to correct what was wrong. That last part was where I went “oops”.
Bill was pointing out to us that when we reached the Tenth Steps we were at the point in out lives, where we were ready to begin to practice and live a sober life. I guess what this section in the book revealed to me a part of living sober that I really don’t often stop to think about. In fact, he said something similar to that. That alcoholics had to learn the hard way what other more experienced people already knew and practiced as a way of life.
What always struck me was what he called the “acid test”. Can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all conditions? Most of us, who are sober, already have passed this test on a daily basis. So, I thought, I must be doing something right.
I guess what I was thinking is that in staying sober I have developed a “habit” of attempting to deal with my character defects, as the pop up each day. I have become willing to accept that some of these defects, which one friend termed “favorites”, must be given up and dealt with through the sixth and seventh steps. That’s how, I would guess, that we “keep in emotional balance”. Because it’s my defects which effect my emotions. And it was my emotions, which often triggered my going into a bar.
Bill covers this, when he talks about the “emotional hangover”. I guess these are the wake up calls, which get our attention to practice the Tenth and the Sixth and Seventh Steps. If I forget my character defects, I know I’m going to pay a price. Hopefully it will be with working these steps and not a drink.
Anyway, I was thinking about this today.