When I was growing up, I learned about Chicken Little who ran around telling everyone that the “Sky is Falling!”  The point of the story was to teach young children not to put too much stock in absurd beliefs*. I was reminded of this story when I read all the social media chatter about the new Plain Language Big Book that has been approved for publishing by AA World Services.  

“If only you believed in miracles” – Marty Balin 

 

Recently I was discussing the topic of miracles with some friends. We read pages 188-189 in the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous). The section described AA number three and how he came into the fellowship. The topic and story resonated with all of us. It truly is a miraculous story.

The 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps…” So, what is this “spiritual awakening” and why is it so crucial to long-term recovery?

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2:00 A.M. On Saturday night, clocks are set back one hour (i.e., gaining one hour). This has come to be known as “Fall Back." This event has become part of the fall routine and one which sleep deprived individuals like this blogger look forward to very much.

What does it mean to abandon ourselves to God? On page 164 of the book Alcoholics Anonymous we find this explanation.

 

 

Chapter seven of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, is devoted entirely to working with others. You get a clue from the author of the “Big Book”, how important certain steps are by the amount of space he devotes to them. When the author has devoted an entire chapter to working with others, i.e., Step 12, it must be important.

You can turn up the heat emotionally. You can turn up the heat physically. But what do you do when your emotional and physical temp are turned up, and you can’t access the reset gauge?

Experience…

While I was still in treatment sober living was “strongly suggested” as the next step in my recovery. I was told that it would put into practice the twelve-step approach to living in a somewhat controlled environment that would benefit my sobriety and my overall spiritual well-being. Believe me I was more than a little bit skeptical that this would in any way, shape, or form benefit me at all. This blog delves into whether they were right or not. We shall see.