Liberation and Strength
From pg. 21, paragraph 3 of the 12 x 12:
“We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.”
We all talk about the bad side of alcoholism. I thought we would look at what that “bad side” brought us. We have a lot of new members who are young in recovery. I know this will really help them.
So, it became obvious to me that until I was at my utter bottom with nothing left of my pride, ego, or life I would have no desire to go up. I just kept staying in misery – in fact wallowing in it. Yet, once at the bottom, the utter defeat, I can attest that I did indeed find freedom, a loosening of the bonds, and a strength I didn’t know I had. And as I gained another day of sobriety, and another, and another, and so on, the strength increased. As I worked the steps and started understanding why I had behaved as I did, within I found I had a strength I could be proud of and rely upon. I was truly liberated.
The other part was admitting I was utterly powerlessness and when I did I earned a foundation for the rest of my recovery. At the start did I think it was bedrock? Of course not! It took time to realize what I was building. At first you just feel lost, you aren’t catching everything that’s being said, you’re scared (white knuckling it), you have little faith in yourself. You certainly don’t realize that you are building a bedrock foundation for the rest of your recovery. But, you are. And in time you stand up and feel the firm rock under your feet. You start taking more steps and you feel that liberation and strength filling your soul.
This, my friends, is the joy of recovery. The joy of realizing you CAN do it. The joy of realizing the misery is behind you and hope is in front of you.
Liberation, strength, and bedrock. Three words to remember. The floor is now open for sharing.