AUG 16, 20 .. WORKING WITH OTHERS - STEP 12

Today, some eighty five (85) years after the first meeting between Bill Wilson and Doctor Bob, working with others (Step 12) remains the one, and the only, activity that we share with the original founding fathers of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and all of the early members. 

When the first seeds of A.A. were planted in May of 1935 in Akron, Ohio, there was no A.A. Big Book. So with no A.A. Big Book there were no steps to follow. There were no traditions to guide our meetings. There was basically nothing except the passion of one alcoholic working with another alcoholic sharing their own personal experience of striving, one-day-at-a-time, to not pick up a drink of alcohol.

I continue to work with others on a daily basis. 

Chapter 7 of the A.A. Big Book begins with the following paragraph:

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill.

Today, Sunday the 16th of August 2020, my own personal to-do list included calling a friend in A.A. who I have known for several decades. 

Doing this was so important that I taped a reminder message onto the mirror in our bathroom so I would not forget to call our friend.

Too funny! Almost the instant my wife and I returned from a local A.A. meeting our long time friend Kathleen called us before we called her!

What joy we three received visiting with one-another!

I promised Kathleen I'd include a few photos of a local lake we visit to just relax and enjoy each other's company. It is so close that we can walk to it in 15-minutes.

Yes Oh Yes. We feed the ducks. Both the ducks and my wife and I just love our visits.

What has this got to do with sobriety? 

Everything. Sharing our joy and hope with each other keeps us sober.

Katheen, our dear friend, and anyone following along here who wishes to join us, let's make-a-deal:

Let's NOT DRINK TODAY.

DEC 25, 18 .. STEP TWELVE

Here we are, it's December, the 12th month of the year, and time to share some of my experience with Step 12.

Step 12 : Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry our message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Do any of you want Step 12 expressed in only five (5) words?

TO FEEL GOOD, DO GOOD

When we help others, it makes us feel good. When we feel good about ourselves, we are not inclined to pick up a drink of alcohol to change how we feel.

TO FEEL GOOD, DO GOOD

This includes doing good things for all other human beings. It is not limited to only helping other alcoholics. Let it also include doing good things for animals and even inanimate objects as well.

To repeat : When we help others, it makes us feel good. When we feel good about ourselves, we are not inclined to pick up a drink of alcohol to change how we feel.

THE PROMISES

Most of us are aware of 'The Promises' of the 9th step which are on pages 83 and 84 in The Big Book in Chapter 6, - Into Action.

There are about 140 promises in the first 164 pages of the Big Book.

Step 12 begins with a promise : Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps.

This is a promise. We are promised a Spiritual Awakening if we work the previous 11 steps.

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING / EXPERIENCE

The 12th Step promises us a spiritual awakening. Appendix II, pages 567 and 568, in the back of the Big Book is well worth studying. 

In my thoughts on Step 9, I talked about how some amends are uncomfortable and of the spiritual experience I had the day I stopped short of telling-off another member of A.A. so I would not have to then make an amend to him. This change in behavior is, in and of itself, a spiritual awakening or experience.

WORKING WITH OTHERS

In The Big Book, Chapter 7 - Working With Others, on page 89 says : PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.

In my opinion, working with others ranks number 2 on my list of most important actions we can take to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. 

What is number 1? In order to recover from active alcoholism you must want to do so. A.A. is not for those who need it. A.A. is for those who want it!

What more have I to offer on the 12 Step? For now this is my best effort.