Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2024

[bluidkiti]

October 21

Quote of the Week

"We come to A.A. to get a life, not for A.A. to be our life."

After I got over my old ideas about getting sober and fully surrendered to the program, all I wanted to do was hang out in recovery. I felt comfortable and safe going to two meetings a day, seven days a week, and because I was unemployed, I had the time to do so. After meetings, I loved going to fellowship, and some of my fondest memories to date have been late dinners with a group of other sober people. I didn’t want to engage with any family members, and I no longer spoke to any of my old drinking buddies. I lived in the pink cloud of early recovery and never wanted to leave.

After a while, my sponsor suggested I look for work. He said we become self-supporting through our own contributions once we get sober. At first, I thought the stresses of the real world would be too much, and the thought of leaving the comfort of meetings made me pretty anxious. I resisted until I couldn’t borrow enough to live any longer, and so I finally got a job. I hated it. I grew resentful that I had to get up early, drive in traffic, and do something I thought was beneath me. I kept going to my evening meetings, though, and the succor I found there helped me deal with these feelings.

After changing jobs a few times and settling into a more balanced work/recovery life, I realized what the answer was. The key to feeling the same sense of comfort and safety outside of A.A. was to apply the principles of the program in all of my affairs. And chief among these is to be of service. Today, when I am engaged in any activity, I find the same feelings of fulfillment I get in the rooms as long as I seek to help others. I now know that I was given a life in A.A. so that I can have a meaningful life outside of A.A. as well.