“I have come to realize that the name of the game is not so much to stop drinking as to stay sober. Alcoholics can stop drinking in many places and many ways—but Alcoholics Anonymous offers us a way to stay sober.”
The Big Book of A.A., p. 558.
I’ve shared before that for my sobriety, I don’t focus on not using drugs, because that would tempt my mind way too much. Rather, I focus on not taking a single alcoholic drink. That’s where I start my mental discipline: don’t drink alcohol. Not that I don't have a problem with alcohol, it’s just it’s never been as tempting to me as smoking or using drugs. Besides, if I were to ever start using again I’d most likely start with taking a drink of alcohol and then I’d be off to the races doing drugs.
I recently completed reading the stories of The Big Book (of Alcoholics Anonymous), and what I came to appreciate were the varied ways in which people approached their sobriety. There are at least two important lessons those of us in recovery can take away from the stories:
There is no one way to get sober.
Staying sober is what recovery is really all about.
Seems simple enough. Of course, there’s healing that’s required, a level of brutal honesty about our situation, and a willingness to learn and grow. In other words, we have the 12 Steps of A.A. to follow. The steps are basically a guide to obtaining and maintaining a sober lifestyle.
“Drugs weren’t a problem, they were a solution—a buffer between me and reality. That’s what this program [of A.A.] is about, it’s about becoming a better person.”
—Steve, Project HEAL testimony speaker, 5/28/2021.
Steve kept it real for our local recovery group. The 12 Steps don’t try to force anyone to do anything. It’s all personal choice. The steps are like directions to a specific location. The location is a sober lifestyle. That’s where the steps lead you if you choose to do the work.
Choose sobriety above all else. Just for today. Don’t worry about whether you’ll be sober tomorrow or in the future. Just stay sober today. And when you wake up tomorrow, choose it again. Before you know it, you’ll have weeks, months, and eventually years of sobriety. All because you chose sobriety one day at a time.
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