Last night, just before I went to sleep, I picked up a book on spiritual awakenings by members of this program. When I opened it, the first story I saw and then read was about my favorite Step. The 2nd Step.
Just like the man, who wrote that said, it introduced him to a spiritual awakening. Realization and hope. Finally, and for the first time, he became aware of the predicament he was in from alcohol, and introduced him to a higher power. That happened to me also.
The 2nd Step. The introduction to the solution to my drinking problem. Before that I was in total despair of any solution. I just couldn’t stop drinking. It seemed hopeless. But then I was introduced to my first meeting and there I got hope. Almost instantly I found my first higher power. The group of alcoholics, who were sober, and, who together, had the power not to drink.
At the meeting today the subjects were gratitude and a day at a time. A lot of people told my story. They were grateful that they had reached sobriety a day at a time. Me too. But there was something else that made me grateful as we sat there. That was the group, practicing the 5th Tradition. They were fulfilling their primary purpose, to carry the message to the alcoholic, who still suffers. And there were some, who truly were suffering.
Anyway, it reminded me of my primary purpose and I couldn’t help but be grateful that the program helped me achieve sobriety and saved my life. In fact, it gave me life, probably for the first time.