Where has the alcohol gone? Nowhere. It’s still here. It’s still deep down inside of us. The desire to drink has never gone anyplace. It is only arrested. Like the BB says, we have but a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.
I need to remember this everyday, if I want to stay sober. There are no guarantees. The BB reminds us not to get too complacent. It tells me that if I ever rest on my laurels, confident that nothing can take me back out, I’m headed for trouble. That I don’t want. I want to stay sober.
Of course there is one thing which can insure me. Working with another alcoholic. I know this always works for me. I want to be involved with others. Gratitude is what makes me want to do this.
I’m told that an attitude of gratitude is what is needed to help me stay sober. I’m told that a grateful heart won’t drink again. But gratitude is not dependent on a feeling. I’m told it’s an action word. It’s based on my finding the solution, the gift of sobriety, in the Second Step. Coming to believe in a power greater than myself. A matter of faith in my higher power. And faith without works is dead.
This is what I was thinking about today. The need to stay vigilant. The need for gratitude and the need for action. And, of course, the need to keep the faith.