The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. Tradition #3
The miracle of Alcoholics Anonymous is its sheer simplicity. You want to quit drinking?
You’re in.
I promise, you will never get turned away because of crappy health insurance.
We have no slickly produced commercials or catchy jingles. We’re above that.
However:
Once you experience the fellowship, here’s no going back. The damage has been done.
We’ll have RUINED your drinking.
You’re welcome.
I’ve seen people show up for their first AA meeting for a myriad of reasons, some of which are downright hilarious:
Some came in the back door (through Al Anon) to deal with someone else’s drinking;
Some thought AA could teach them how to drink responsibly;
I knew a guy who came to his first meeting on a bet.
Another guy came because, (in his own words) “A scam went bad.”
It doesn’t matter what got you here. What matters is what you’re willing to do to stay.
I spent a long time avoiding Alcoholics Anonymous. When I finally got here, I got the surprise of my life: It didn’t suck. It wasn’t the enemy. As a matter of fact, it ended up being the one shining beacon of hope in my life.
Drug and alcohol rehab statistics show that the percentage of people who will relapse after a period of recovery ranges from 50% to 90%. This is a frightening statistic and it is often used as justification for those who wish to carry on with their addiction.
Personally, I don’t dwell on the negative stats because I’d rather focus on success.
I can stay sober one day at a time (and so can you). The Promises do come true. The Spiritual Life is not a theory.
I never had any doubts about doing this.
HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY:
People have the uncanny ability to live up to or down to your expectations:
If you continually tell someone they’re a knucklehead, you’ll have fostered a knucklehead. If you feed someone love and encouragement, you’ll have a winner on your hands.
I fell in with some old timers who treated me like an equal, and expected me to succeed.
How could I fail?
The end game here is to die a sober, dignified death surrounded by friends and family.
But between now & then, it’s all about living a great life and passing it on to others.
I first came to AA because I had to.
I kept coming because I wanted to.
I Now show up because I love to. This is where I belong.
. . .And that’s what goes on the scoreboard.
