According to multiple scientific sources, the egg comes before the chicken, but doesn’t a chicken have to lay a chicken egg? We could argue this ad nauseam. Or, we can eat the egg and be done with it. The point is that we don’t have the answer to all life's questions nor the answer to successful sobriety. All we have is our story of successful recovery.
There are, as we have mentioned before, many varied programs and offerings that address addiction and addictive behaviors. Frankly, we root for whatever works to save a valuable life from the pit of this malady.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has the best brand recognition, probably because of its long track record and countless wins. Losses, however, are part of its statistical composition. There are times when we think we have the chicken answer as to why some people fail and others succeed. Our opinion doesn’t really matter. What matters is that each crash causes some level of pain. The damage can be minimal or can turn to catastrophe. Either way, we are heartbroken. Either way, multiple lives are affected when one falls. Though our viewpoints might not help, our personal stories may.
The bottom line for us was that we had to give up before we could get better. We had to stop the drink and drug problem to resolve our internal issues and had to resolve our internal issues to stop our drink and drug problem. We became the egg.
Our resistance to surrender and opposition to change kept us looped in lunacy. Our faith fight left us isolated to our own strategies, which proved ineffective. We allowed the past to damage the present and destroy the future. We ignored relationships and ruled with resentments. We avoided honesty, buried courage, discounted hope, lost love, ignored integrity, misused discipline, and served only if there was something in it for ourselves. We cooked the chicken before she laid her eggs.
Desperation prompted our repositioning. The indescribable pointed us to the described. We found strength from the very humans we had evaded. We discovered our insides and changed our outsides. We worked through the steps of recovery laid before us and uncovered the life principles that are consistent with our being. We had it all: both the chicken and the egg.
We believe the AA program worked for us and can work for anybody. Other programs work for others, as we have witnessed, and we think they should be given a shot rather than giving up. What we know is that being alcohol and drug-free is the better way. What we know is that there IS a solution. We needed some sliver of hope and found it in the recovery community – all we needed was an ounce of openness and a pound of willingness.
Check our resource room for information on alternatives to the AA solution.
Happy Sobriety.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from a sober.coffee bonus podcast #64 titled “PRO SOBRIETY! - AA Alternative(s) Part 1 - "SOS"”… The podcast dropped on 6/15/2022. Click here to hear the podcast.
BLOG DISCLAIMER:
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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