How have you done with the 12 steps?

[kivi]

For myself, I have to realize that when I am not drinking, I revert to my basic personality, a personality shared in common by all alcoholics: I am "restless, irritable anf discontented". And that only get worse unless I "again experience the sense of ease and confort thatcomes at once by taking a few drinks" OR I work the program of the 12 Steps {A. NA, whatever}. I have to do something because the living in "restless, irritble and discontented" is intolerable. Your long term 'dryness' is not all that common, but I have heard of it before,ore than once, so I am not suprised. Nor am I suprisded yu started using again and are having a difficult time getting back into recovery. That's what we do and that's what happens. But you have been in the moral discipline of recovery and you have experience with sobriety. You know what to do. And you know that recovery is not for people who want it or need it, it is for people who do it. Now, do it. G-d bless.
kivi, 27 years clean and sobler

 

[kivi]

I have never been discouraged from mentioning that Jesus is my God. I don't preach when I share, I just share what is working for me, and that my relationship with God is vital to my recovery. I have been going to AA meetings for over 20 years, and have never seen anyone discouraged from naming their Higher Power. It would be totally inappropriate to preach at a meeting, but there is nothing wrong with saying that Jesus is my Higher Power.

There are people in recovery who mention, in religious terms, who is their Higher Power. Jesus is hardly uncommon. Most people, in respect of the Traditions, use more generic terms like HP or G-d. I know that, as an Orthodox Jew, it used to drive me crazy when Jesus was mentioned or the Lord's Prayer was used to close the meeting.
But the 12 Steps do their work slowly but throughly, so I have learned to "Let Go and Let G-d". When I attend AA or NA meetings in New York City and the membership is 90% Jewish, I do not slip into the Jewish jargon. I use the generic terms no matter were I am. I'm not trying to call attention to myself and build up my own ego by using terms like HaShem or dovening or seder. That would just be keeping the disease alive. Jargon divides, the 12 Steps unify. IN part, recovery is like learning a new language, a language that all recoverying persons can understand.
kivi, 27 years clean and sober.

 

[outOftheLoop]

I was drinking again and more and more. I'm lonely and scared to go places except to the beer store. I have not drank Sunday or today at all and am taking my Campral from my doctor. It takes away the urge to drink. It takes about a week to get into your system. I hope I will keep taking them. I have to work the first 2 steps now. I need prayers and I am praying too. I feel like I don't care about anything any more.

i have been there... someimes still go there..

When i started spending time with Jesus @ the Blessed Sacrament (The Real Presence in the Catholic Church 24/7), i began to really learn to detach from all that made me crazy.. .things that made me want to get into some addiction.

i tend to get emotinally addicted to a PERSOn rather than a substance but the dynamics are the same regardless. In fact its worse to be addicted to a person because ppl, obviously, are more complicated & they don't just cease to exist or whatever just cuz you don't want to be addicted anymore...

anyway, i am glad the Church taught me how to ... well, get "beamed up"..

this world is nothing but temporary Hell because ppl don't give a rip about ea other and etc... etc...

so we have to have a way to detach... and find out what GOD thinks about our lives.

 

[RuthD]

Thank you all for your feedback to me. Reading it really helped me.

 

[SeraphimsCherub]

Well i love the 12 steps!!! Because they are the 12 Humble steps of God's Spirit that set us free from the pride of ourselves,and Carry us through this world of sin,and Saved by the Grace of the Blood of the Lamb!!! Is that Peace of God far beyond all thing's; that we frett no more over,and past all want, we need not understand!

First came the 12 Tribes of Christ the Very Center of All time; Before Christ (Jesus) & After Christ Jesus His 12 disciples came! He gave "them" His Spirit, they gave His Word, His Word Is also the Spirit, and His 12 step's that Super(naturally) follow! 12 is the amont of numbers on a clock, and the number where 1 time period ends,and another one begins!!!

 

[SeraphimsCherub]

Well brother beloved!! Yeshuah is thy Messiah, The El Elyon EloHim ,Eternal Son-Eternal One The Only Begotten of HimSelf Son of Man,yet still YahWeh EloHim El Shaddai! To Save all Israel,the apple of His Eye,as His Own Abba YahWeh Command's!!!


SeraphimsCherub

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

The 12 steps gave me a profound new meaning on life. Whereas before going to a twelve step program I had never been taught any particular methods of lifeskills other than to survive on the street w/o ever actually having to be on the streets.


Friends gave me the oputunity to learn the steps before I even realised I was learning. Attending for 3 yrs, was, to me, a life saver.

 

[Chaplain David]

I was intimidated by the 12 steps at first and then after I did them all I felt so peaceful. I continue to use them. How about you?

Hi Ruth, I've been using them for some years now. After a break in AA I've returned and it's fantastic to be back. God bless everyone.