Identification... aka Trad 3... Long Form

So... pardon us Nazi-type intolerant Step-Thumpers for a moment... but what do y'all think of this Recovery Soup type meeting and all?

I'm seeing it envogue not just in my neck of the woods... but yours as well... to come to the meeting and bring whatever ails you to the 12 steps.

Over-eaters? Sex addicts? OCDers? What is this, anyway?

Evidently, we've got folks who drive around in cars... sober... and stress out over whether or not they just drove over a baby or not. Of course they hadn't... but they just fear that they have.

And they want to sit in a meeting with us and hear how we're overcoming drinking ourselves to death on booze.

But then the non-Nazi-type intolerant Step-Thumpers will say, "Oh! Oh! Oh! But alcohol is NOT the problem! It's merely the symptom!" What say you about this?

Willingness

Willingness. What does it mean to you?

We can look at willingness when embarking on a spiritual path... a willingness to turn loose of an objectionable defect of character... willingness to give up trying to control the situation or outcome... etc.

What does willingness mean to you now or with regards to the steps?

Spirituality vs Religion

OK pilgrims, step aside for your lesson on Spiritual vs Religious.

Spiritual;

Religious;

Entering into a new relationship with my Creator

Am I willing to do this now?

Is it even necessary?

What would it now look like? Would it be a matter of letting go of rather than adding on to?

Where am I with submission, discipline, obedience? Two types of discipline... one that's imposed upon me... one I don't do well with... and one that I decide into... in a 3rd Step sort of way... one I intend.

I'm loving this retreat and think I'll go on a hike.

What's your favorite prayer?

Pretty simple request... give us your favorite prayer or one currently in your consciousness... or go find us one.

Here, I'll start;


Disturb us Lord

When we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true... because we have dreamed too little...

When we have arrived safely...
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us Lord... when with the abundance of things we possess...
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life...

Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity...
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the New Heaven to dim.

Disturb us Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas...
Where storms will show your Mastery...

Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back the Horizons of our Hopes...
And to push into the future... in strength, courage, hope, and love.


Attributed - Sir Francis Drake -1577

Have fallen in love with life

WHY ME?

A thought that’s been running through my mind lately: Why me? Or even, why us?

Everyone walks into the rooms for their first meeting. Very few stick around. What is about those of us who do? I’m no more intelligent than the next person. I’ve seen people walk through the doors who were in a lot worse shape than I was when I first came in. They wanted to stop drinking as I did.

But they didn’t stick around. Or, if they did, it was step 3 and out. I stuck around.

I’ve heard various answers to the question lately. “We were chosen” is one of them. Why was I “chosen”? Why not the next guy who’s still out there? Am among the elect or something? I have problems with this answer as I question whether God picks and chooses. Two people come into the rooms and only one stays. Is that because God likes one and not the other?

Maybe I just wanted sobriety more than the other guy, but I can’t speak for him. I have a friend who was in and out for years, praying for help in not drinking. He just killed himself a few months ago. My guess is that he was never able to get what he wanted. But I was.

I’ve seen people coming to the rooms because they were court-ordered, and they hated AA when they first arrived. Years later they’re sober and happy because of the program. Why did they stick around?

The floor is now open for discussion.

Recovered Alanon vs Unrecovered Alanon

I invite you to check out a conversation I'm having with a couple of alanons here and here about "alcoholism".

See if you can spot the unrecovered one;

http://www.city-data.com/forum/mental-health/909779-alcoholism-4.html#post23501822