We talked about Easy Does It today. Interesting to this chronic alcoholic. How difficult that was for me. That was until a couple of things opened the door for me.
I know my old sponsor told me “Easy does it, but do it.” I know that really stopped me in my tracks. How was that to work for me? And right about that time he introduced me to the Second Step. The beginning of the spiritual life in here for me.
I had to come to learn a number of things, which began to change me. Doing Easy Does It for this alcoholic was risky business. I mean here I was overwhelmed by all these negative feelings. Anger, fear, resentment, anxiety, self pity, and on and on. All these emotions running my life. What was I to do?
And that’s what another old timer leaned over to me today, after I brought up that old timers sayings back then, and that was Intellect Over Emotions. He just shook his head and said it was sad that statement had stopped being mentioned in almost every meeting, because it changed so many of us.
And for me I was introduced to the Second Step. I learned then that I was going to have to learn to live a spiritual life or die an alcoholic death. I was introduced to a Higher Power and had to grow in hope and faith and eventually love. And never quit, to persevere, and never pick up a drink of alcohol ever again.
And this introduced me to the practice of praying and meditating in that Eleventh Step. To learn to ask for help with these negative emotions and to begin to change. To pretty much begin to eliminate their impact on my life. To come to understand peace and serenity. True happiness and to reduce the impact these had on my life. Except when I stumbled over them, because I’m still human and not a saint.
Anyway, after the meeting, I had to sit down and think about all of this. It was the beginning of a big change in my way of life and my thinking. Didn’t happen overnight. Like another saying in here, Time Takes Time. I began to change a day at a time.
And, of course it all is about staying sober a day at a time. I am so grateful for what I have been given.