Are these promises real? I have
to admit they sounded pretty extravagant to me the first time
I heard them. Today I can tell you that they are absolutely
real. These things have all come true for me in a way that
seems completely natural. All I had to do was follow the steps.
Chris H
The key word is the third to the last word in the promises,
Work. This means following the suggestions laid out in "How
it Works". Letting go and letting God do his work. Freeing
yourself from emotional attachments to outcomes. Learning
to step back in things for just one extra moment will help
you reawaken the awe and wonderment and joy that you may not
have felt since childhood or maybe ever. I like to look at
the work part of it using a sports cliché, "Keep
Your Head Down and Follow Through" pray and your Higher
Power comes into your life. You will change. Besides if you're
an alcoholic or any of the other cross-addicted personality
types, what have you got to lose besides a world of misery
and illusions?
Rick S
For me the promises are very real and all of them have manifested
in my life. I hear them read at meetings often. They are basically
a promise of spiritual contentment and peace of mind. I certainly
have that and much more. It brings to mind the saying "stick
around until the miracle happens." I often feel great
sadness when I think about those people who get a taste of
recovery through the twelve step process and then quit. They
will never have what I have.
John N
Basically we lose our fear, particularly of feeling "less
than". We learn to quit looking over our shoulder because
the fog is lifting and we become more cognizant of the here
and now. We learn to have courage to walk through old fears
when they pop up or when we feel like it's time to try new
positive things in our lives. Only part of it is personal
courage though, the rest is the support we receive through
our associations in and with the program. Where once we spent
nights drinking, now there suddenly seems to be time to go
back to school, duh! There's money for the light bill because
it wasn't spent on crack. Your children are happier because
a parent made it to a recital instead of thinking of himself.
You just plain start to feel better about yourself and the
future; and that my friend is freedom. We start to mature,
we become calmer and more comfortable with ourselves and others.
And on and on.
Richard S |
