THE RULES

“Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery.”
That’s like:
“When you jump out of the airplane, it’s suggested you pull the ripcord.”

Suggestions.           Please.                                                                  They’re the rules.

By the time I arrived in Alcoholics Anonymous, I was ready to pay attention and cooperate.
There was no room for blame, no excuses, no negotiations, no double talk or fancy footwork.
The defiance had been beaten and bludgeoned out of me. Suggestions or not, I was ready.

Through the years I’ve heard it over and over again from successful people I respect:
“You’ve got to show up and do the work.”
The things I did to stay sober when I was new are the same things that work for me today.
This isn’t rocket surgery.

It’s romantic to believe you can just be miraculously be stricken sober. Sorry to break it to you, but there’s an element of effort involved. After all, staying drunk and stoned took a lot of work, too.

The trick is to adopt that same attitude for staying sober.
For me, it wasn’t too difficult because I quickly discovered something I’d never expected: Being a part of Alcoholics Anonymous and staying sober was actually fun! Go figure.
After all, if it’s not fun, what’s the point?

I’ve always made it a point to seek out the winners. Those folks who stay sober and have that certain vibe. A person’s actions will tell you everything you need to know. Pay attention.
Those are the people I hang with, because success breeds success.
There’s a common thread – they all possess a certain consistency.

Even with tons of time and rock solid recovery, they always showed up, participated, and helped others as best they could. They were the ‘lifers’, and I derived a lot of comfort just knowing they’d be there.

When I was new, I never paid attention to 90 & 90 because I instinctively knew this was going to be an open-ended deal. By the time that first meeting was over, the damage was done.

The greatest gift God gave us also happens be the worst curse He inflicted upon us: Free will.
Yes, we do this together and watch out for each other, I’ll grant you that. But in the end, we are all responsible for our own sobriety. You got yourself drunk, and if you’ve managed to stay sober through thick and thin, that’s on you.
You can be a power of example, and a beacon of hope for all who know you.                                                                                              Or, you can go down as a cautionary tale.

All you’ve got to do is follow a few simple rules.