Read an Excerpt
Introduction
The rooms of recovery are filled with a wealth of collective spiritual and practical wisdom that is revealed in the hundreds of quotes and sayings heard daily in meetings around the world. Inspiring and insightful, these quotes help deepen the experience of recovery, enrich the spiritual journey, and provide a road map for living life one day at a time. The quotes in this volume have been collected from various Twelve Step meetings and programs and are a vital part of the spiritual tool kit each member of the fellowship carries.
The reflections in this volume are written in the familiar format of "What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now." Each daily reflection reveals the experience, strength, and hope members get from working the Twelve Steps and offers insight into what the program is, and how—by working it—the miracle of recovery and spiritual transformation takes place. Familiar topics such as sponsorship, commitments, going to meetings, and, of course, the challenges and gifts of working the Twelve Steps are all here. The quotes and meditations also reflect the experience of both newcomers and old-timers alike, and members will invariably find parts of their own journey within these pages.
As with all Twelve Step programs, and with all the sharing that takes place within the meetings, the reflections collected here are solely based on the experiences of individual members taking the Steps and working the program. These reflections are not intended to speak for the program itself but rather are presented as personal interpretations and offered in the spirit of giving back.
We hope you find the courage, strength, and direction you need, just when you need it, in The Wisdom of the Rooms. And if you do, then please pass on to others the encouragement and insights you find here. Remember, we don't do this alone.
January 1
"Humility is not thinking less about yourself, but rather thinking about yourself less."
I used to look down on people who were humble. They won't ever get anywhere, I used to think. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and if I wanted to succeed I had to be aggressive and take the things I wanted. When I combined alcohol with this attitude, my ego exploded, and my thirst for both success and drink was insatiable. Soon I was a pariah, shunned even by some of my closest friends.
In the program, while I was recovering from my disease, I heard a lot about humility. Rather than be open to the concept, my ego rebelled at the thought of it. I can still remember arguing about it with my sponsor. "If I'm humble, I'll be a nothing. People will take advantage of me, and I'll never get ahead," I whined. And that's when he defined it, according to the program. He told me, "Humility isn't thinking less about yourself, but rather it's thinking about yourself less." That was an aha moment for me.
The truth beneath this explanation has deepened for me over the years. What I have discovered is that I am much happier, have more freedom, and am more peaceful when I am thinking less about myself. In fact, the more focused on others I become, the more serenity I have. Today, whenever I find that I am anxious or upset, chances are I'm thinking too much about myself. The solution is simple: I seek humility by looking for ways to be of service. When I do, serenity returns to my life.
January 2
"If I'm feeling hysterical, it must be historical."
Before recovery, I often wondered why little things caused such big reactions in me. I was often filled with rage when somebody drove too slowly, or I hurt for days over someone's negative comments about me. Other things that didn't go my way often caused oversized reactions, leaving me confused and resentful. I suffered many painful emotional hangovers from these events, and this only fueled my drinking—which led to a different kind of hangover.
By doing my Step work, I began to untangle the strings of my emotional past. Through journaling and inventories, I learned to look beyond these events to the real causes of my feelings. What I uncovered were the old wounds and hurts from long ago, the historical causes and conditions of my hysterical reactions. Once I recognized that events were merely buttons triggering old feelings, my real emotional recovery began.
Today, I recognize uncomfortable feelings for what they are: guides into emotional areas that still need healing. I use questions to help me deal with these old wounds. "What is really behind this reaction?" "What can I do, right now, to soothe myself?" "Where is the path to recovery here?" These kinds of questions are the tools I use to help me heal, and so avoid the bigger-than-life reactions that used to make my life unmanageable. Today, I uncover, discover, and discard those old hurts.
January 3
"Did God introduce me to the program, or did the program introduce me to God?"
In the beginning of my sobriety, I spent a lot of time resenting that I had to go to all those meetings and do all that work. "Why do I have to go to ninety meetings in ninety days?" "Why do I have to write another inventory?" "Why do I have to make a Fourth Step list of resentments, and why, especially, do I have to look at my part?" "Why can't I just lead a normal life?" I cried. It took quite a while before the answer became clear.
What I finally realized was that all this work was part of the spiritual path I was on that led to a relationship with God, as I came to understand Him. All the work I had to go through was necessary because it enabled me to let go of my old self, and so become open to the healing and loving presence of a Higher Power. The freedom, the serenity, and the ability to live life on life's terms are the gifts of the indescribable miracle I found through recovery.
Today, whenever I find it inconvenient to keep going to meetings, or if I become resentful that I'm still an alcoholic, I ask myself, If the program was the only way I would have found God, would I have chosen to be an alcoholic? My answer is a resounding yes! Today, I'm one of those people who identify in meetings as a grateful alcoholic. It no longer matters whether God introduced me to the program or if the program introduced me to God. All that is important is that I found Him.
©2019 Anonymous. All rights reserved. Reprinted from The Wisdom of the Rooms: 12 Months of Reflections for People in Recovery. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.
