The topic of the 12th Step came up today, along with the importance of meetings.
For one thing meetings are important, because that’s where I really began to hear about and learn how these Steps worked. Aside from the BB and my sponsor. As an example, here we were, sitting in a meeting and learning about the 12th Step again. And I needed to be there despite what I might have thought I knew about this important Step. Glad that I did.
One man pointed out, for example, that back at the beginning of AA it didn’t matter what the new men did or didn’t know. They were nevertheless out there talking to others just like themselves. It must have worked, because look at the program today. It grew and grew and opened the door to recovery to all who chose to be here.
I certainly had the opportunity to go on 12th Step calls, when I came in. The only way, at that time, to reach AA was through phone calls to the central desks. And alcoholics like myself responded to alcoholics like myself, who asked for help. I didn’t always know the message especially when I was new. But time and help from older members taught me what it was I needed to do. And that was to relate my experience, strength, and hope.
Today those calls are few and far between, because of rehabs, hospitals, and detoxes, which exist today. They didn’t back then. However new people do show up at meetings and we get the opportunity to share in the same way I learned back then. Or like my sponsor used to do. He would go to the door at the meetings and, if he saw someone out in the parking lot, who looked like he was lost or hesitating, he would go out and greet them and invite them into the meeting. He always did that. I’m not always aware and often fail to follow his example. But I admired him for what he did.
Probably the one thing about that Step that was talked about by almost everyone, who spoke, was the practice of these principles in all of our affairs. As one man pointed out we get back exactly what we put out there. If it’s not good it will result in not being good for us either. It was pointed out that it doesn’t matter how we feel. If we’re not feeling positive then “act as if”. The result of that is often we will end up finding ourselves thinking positive. Or, as one old timer used to say, “Attitudes are everything. They’re more important than facts. In fact they change the facts.” That’s been my experience.
And, of course, a number of people mentioned the spiritual awakening. And that, they pointed out, was the direct result of attempting to put the rest of the preceding Steps into action in our lives.
Like I said, the meeting was like a wake up call to someone like me. And a number said the same thing. Just another illustration of how important meetings are. At least it made me come home and sit down and think about it. About how grateful I am to be reminded of and being able to think about sober living.