There are no musts in this program, I am told. But, as most old timers reminded me, there are a helluva lot of you betters. If I want to stay sober.
For instance, my sponsor never told me I had to read the BB, or I must. He simply said it was a good idea to read and study the BB, if I wanted to stay sober. The same way with the steps. He never said I had to work the steps, but, if I wanted to stay sober, I had better.
The musts in this program come from me. I know what it is I must do. If I want to stay sober. After I found out what I had better do, that’s when I discovered what I must do. My sponsor would tell me that I had better go to meetings. I learned that I must, if I want to stay sober. I learned that I could not stay sober by myself. There were no musts there. But I learned I must have the help of others, if I want to stay sober.
There were no musts that I had to get a higher power and come to believe. I was given a choice. I could either choose to believe in and practice a spiritual way of living or die an alcoholic death. I know today that I must believe. And because I do, I am sober.
All along the way, I always had choices. I was never forced to do anything. I never was told that I must stop drinking. But I had better, if I wanted to get sober. I always had the freedom to do whatever it was that I wanted to do. If I was willing to pay the price for doing whatever I wanted to do. It was up to me. But, I quickly learned that I wasn’t willing to have the consequences I would have to face as a result. Because I knew it would lead me back to a drink. So, I learned that I must do the right thing, if I wanted to stay sober.
The freedom I have in this program didn’t come because someone told me I must do anythng. It came as a result of the suggestions I was given, which directed me into a right way of living.
I can still do anything I want in this program, but there are a lot of things I don’t want to do which I know can jeopardize my sobriety.
Anyway, I was thinking about this today. What it is that I had better do, because I must.