It’s about sobriety. Always. It’s about not taking that first drink ever again. It’s about sanity. Being restored to sanity from the insanity that kept making me pick up that next drink. That spiritual awakening, which placed me in a position of neutrality, as far as alcohol is concerned. Never having to think about a drink.
AA gave me my sobriety. It opened the door to a whole new world for me. It saved my life, as well as my sanity. And it all began with the BB and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. First through the BB I finally found out what was wrong with me. I never knew that I had a disease, which caused me to drink. I thought I was crazy, weak willed, and immoral. Well, that too. But the physical craving, the mental obsession, the continuous compulsion, all of that, which dominated my whole life.
And then I discovered AA had a solution to what was wrong with me. What a miracle. From despair to hope. There was a way out and the way was through finding how to live a spiritual life. That was the farthermost thing from my mind. But so was everything in my life. My marriage, my wife, my children, and the rest of society. Alcohol had robbed them and myself from any kind of “normal” relationships.
All this was restored due to this program. And why am I thinking about this today? I was reminded that, as a result of what this program has done for me and my life, that I have a responsibility to this program.
I owe this program so much that I’m willing to do anything requested of me to make sure that the alcoholic behind me is offered the same opportunity given to me. Like is said, I want the hand of AA to be there. In one way or another, I am part and parcel of that hand.
When I first arrived at this program, my home group had a Step meeting every Monday night. And, on the first Tuesday of each month, we had what we called “the oh s— meeting”. On that night we talked about the Twelve Traditions. Meaningless to me at the time, but, as time went on, their meaning and importance to myself and others and AA as a whole grew. I now know that it is up to each of us individually to foster and educate others to why they are so important. The very life of AA depends on their maintenance.
I feel very strongly about these Traditions. They’re what keep AA and people like me in contact with every alcoholic, no matter where they are. They’re the reason any drunk, who stumbles into the rooms, has a place of safe haven and rescue. The solution to their problem with alcohol. Their very lives, and mine and everyone like me, depends on our caring that they are put into practice daily. No AA, no life.
Anyway, I was thinking about this today, when I felt it necessary to raise my hand and say, “This is about alcohol and nothing else”. And to those, who came up to me afterwards, I referred them to the 12&12; the First Tradition and the Fifth Tradition. It’s all there in black and white. And I am so grateful for those “oh s— meetings” and all those old timers, who insisted that we talk about them and learn them. They too wanted AA to be here for their children and grandchildren and all the alcoholics, who wanted and needed this program.