Daily Practice - January

[bluidkiti]

January 1

Practice of the Day-
BB pg 58-
Ch 5- How It Works:
RARELY HAVE we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.

-Tom- “Rarely Have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.”
As my sponsor and I read that sentence, he stopped me and said, what do you think of that statement? I said, that was one of the boldest statements I had ever heard and it was was probably
bull ****. He said “well how about we do it and see what happens?” I said, “sure, whatever”.
The requirement in that sentence, if I do not want to fail in this business of sobriety is to “thoroughly followed Our Path” . That means I have to do what they did if I want what they have. Not my ideas and actions, but theirs.
The good thing for me was, I had nothing worthwhile to lose. If this didn’t work, I could always go get drunk.
I hear many alcoholics and addicts say, “I tried AA and it didn’t work” then I ask, “so you got a sponsor, went through the Steps out of the BB with your sponsor, 1 through 12?” Then they say “no, I just went to some meetings” then I say “oh, so you haven’t tried AA.”
I can ask myself, am I doing what AA is asking me to do or what I want to do?
If your answer is you are doing what AA is asking you to do, then Continue enjoying the results of those actions and your hard earned Sobriety.
If you are continuing to do what you want to do, then you will continue to get what you already had.
I pray that today I have the Courage to choose to thoroughly follow the Path AA has put in front of me.