A 4.75-pound tub of Pillsbury Cookie Dough makes up to 76 cookies, according to multiple web sources. Our own delicious research proved that a superb delight possesses 4.5 chocolate chips per cookie. This ratio would demand at least 342 chocolate kernels for a perfect batch. As long as we prepared and baked per instruction, our intake experience should be enjoyable – assuming the treat is paired with a cold glass of milk.
Substitute one Nestle chip with a fragment of feces, and the entire batch is uneatable; for which cookie contains the shit? How can one trust the cookie or the cook?
When we were out there ripping and running, we added so much manure to our story that we believed the bullshit we were serving up. We ate the cookie and convinced ourselves that we liked it. We knew the ingredients were fatally flawed but flaunted them to others nonetheless. Lies and half-truths flowed seamlessly, from thought to action, while the weight of the truth crushed our soul and spirit to the point of self-destruction. We turned to substance to escape the charade we had constructed. We desired to obtain perpetual relief but found it only provisionally as we, at our core, had not changed the flawed recipe we were serving up: we were adding fragments of dishonesty where the right recipe calls for honesty – pure and authentic.
Honesty is or isn’t. Truth is truth. Promises are promises, and facts are facts. A chocolate chip is a chocolate chip.
We have found that in recovery, the element of honesty is core. We have learned that truthful intentions often result in honest action, producing integrity. Trust the cook – trust the cookie.
When we choose to live in sincerity, we experience the taste of serenity. There is weightlessness with truth, honesty, and integrity. We experience freedom from the heavy burden of mental and physical gymnastics associated with fabrication.
Alcohol provided relief temporarily. Honesty provides relief permanently.
We now know that we drank to relieve ourselves of the drain we exerted by dishonest words and actions. We lied to others, and we lied to ourselves. We had to manufacture more bullshit to cover up the bullshit that had become the foundation of our existence. The only way to cope was to escape. It was a miserable existence.
The only way to the other side was to start over. To build a new foundation. To follow the recipe per the proper instructions.
Alcoholics Anonymous is not magic. It takes focus, commitment, and authentic action. It blends principles and practices that are the perfect ingredients for a better way to live. In our opinion, honesty is the main ingredient - the component that delivers the sweetness.
We almost left out Omission.
It is easy to pretend to be honest. Leaving out certain relevant facts is, in fact, not honesty.
For us, this whole thing boils down to who we are today versus who we were yesterday. Are we the cooks comfortable concocting our own creations, spinning stories, and leaving out the pain parts for our own justifications? THAT is how we used to cook, and if we act like the old cook, we will most probably drink like the old cook.
If we follow the recipe as prescribed, we will end up with a good product. One we can take pride in. One others will enjoy as well.
Let the baking begin!
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from a sober.coffee podcast #133 The Power of Honesty"… the episode dropped on 10/11/2023 Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash
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Alcoholics Anonymous and AA are registered trademarks of Alcoholics World Service. Inc. References to AA, the 12 steps, and 12 traditions does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. This publication is intended to support personal growth and should not be considered a substitute for healthcare professionals' advice. The author’s advice and viewpoints are their own.
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