The "We Program"

August 17. Hey friends, I hope everyone has been doing well. I certainly have been, having had opportunities to celebrate many great sober & spiritual things with friends the past few days as well as having a bit of luck & good business on the weekend. So much has gone on & I am forever grateful for my current standing in life, it could be so much worse but instead sobriety continues to make it better. I can only say that I wish I didn't worry my parents so much sometimes, as I don't sleep well at night & stay busy or stay out, they often see me tired & playing catch up. They are my gravity that helps me remember to take care of myself & enable me to do so alot of the time. I wanted to talk about a topic that has come to mind, one that always has stricken me as an important one in my life. The 12 Steps & the fellowships that hold them on high as the tool for successful recovery from any life altering problem, have a saying that says "This Is A WE Program". An experienced 12 Stepper would be the first to admit from not only the 'book knowledge' of the program but also experience that "I Cannot Do This Alone". That statement holds so true in my life. Without the help of many I would be unable to maintain a sober & reasonably happy lifestly. Its because of my family's support & my parents careful considerations when offering me certian kinds of help that I am able to truly enjoy my sober journey. They have given me both food & a roof when the chips were down as well as support & love when morale was down. They have made bad days better & great days awesome, besides a few early battles when we were all getting well at our own paces it has been relatively a loving & learning experience for all of us.

As it is a "We Program" or a "We Recovery" there are others involved as well. My sponsor has contributed so much to me getting well & reminds me that my work is never done unless science finds a cure rather than a way to recover. That will never happen in my or anyone I know's lifetime, alcoholism & addiction are an ageless battle that have only been beaten by death or recovery through the 12 Steps. There may have been a time before the mass availablility of drugs or the social acceptance of alcohol when isolation may have worked against it, but in today's society we are only an arms reach from exposure if we crave, as we all will at some point in our recovery. Because of this fact, other great people have made up the "We" of my recovery. Good friends who have been there since I began sobriety & before I developed my addiction. They know my weaknesses & spend time in their lives with me without those things being a factor to our friendship. My support group contains many new friends, like minded & equally aggressive in recovery, they all contribute their continued success & story of their past to my personal sobriety. This helps to remind me where I came from & shows me that others are doing the same thing, I can see tangible benefits in their lives to look forward in my own. One of the most important things I need in my program, probably the greatest member of the "We" that comprises my recovery group, is my Higher Power. Without it I would not have had the strength to go on, it has answered my prayers countless times & given me a path which I can align my life & will with when I am in a good spiritual condition. It is that path which I need to walk in order to stay sober another day.

Many who do not suffer from the disease of alcoholism would not understand our trials, they think it a mere choice for us to get high or drunk. They also believe that it is a factor of will power when deciding not to drink or pick up a drug. There is no will power strong enough for an addict, the power to stop & stay stopped only comes from others & we do not possess it solely ourselves. Without the others that we rely upon there would be no percentage of a chance for us to stay sober. So when they say it is a "We Program" they are correct, at least for me & from my experience. Having tried all other ways of getting & staying sober, together is the only way I have ever achieved it. Without others I am nothing in sobriety & will soon lose it, just as being alone on a desert island would be a miserable life. Its the constant reassureance of others, the reminders, the help when needed, and the power greater than ourselves in our constantly growing faith in a higher power that makes magical things happen that no science or medicine has ever achieved alone or on a permanent basis. But WE CAN permanently recover, only together, only as WE never as I or YOU alone. When you feel like reaching out, don't hesitate. Reach far & go far in your goals in life & take others with you, because We Can. Thanks for blogging in. Good Night.. Good Morning.. <3 Jimmy