Complacency. A word, which describes where I and a lot of others have found ourselves from time to time. I heard that in a meeting today.
When I get lazy, content, satisfied, and just sit back and begin to drift in this program, I’m in trouble and often don’t know that at the time. It can happen to anyone, even the most dedicated I found out.
That’s when I forget what my sponsor and others were saying to me years ago. To be aware. Like the BB tells us, eternal vigilance is the price of sobriety. I didn’t come here to fall back into a drink again. I came to get away from alcohol. And AA did that for me. It gave me a new lease on life. It gave me my life. How can I ever forget that.
The answer of course is discipline and dedication to the principles of this program. To continue to work these 12 Steps into my life. To continue to read the literature, to talk to other alcoholics, like myself, and to go to meetings and to listen for the answers I need. To continue to change. I’m far from done.
As I listened today, it made me glad that I was there. A reminder that I can’t stay sober by myself. I need everyone in these rooms. I learned that many years ago from those old timers. They’re gone and have been replaced by so many really sober individuals.
Anyway it’s good to get these reminders to stay on track. To continue down this path we’re all on, helping one another, as we do.
Just thinking and doing what I can to stay sober another day.
I really like linking “eternal vigilance” to awareness. I remember hearing the phrase eternal vigilance and thinking that I would need to be fearful, cautious and obsessive the rest of my life, but that would be staying sober on self-will. A paradox. Seeing eternal vigilance as awareness puts a whole new spin on it for me, and brings it back to surrender. The easier softer way to surrender is through awareness, and the easier softer way to experience awareness is through surrender. Turtles all the way down…