Keep it Simple

While I am deeply grateful for the daily reprieve from active alcoholism, I also have some regrets as I reflect on my journey in sobriety.

There is a degree of contentment today and a large part of that is because of changes in the way that I live my life. I used to erect barriers, resolved that I would not allow anyone through or entertain anything that could adversely affect my desire to stay sober. The crustiness and stultifying inhibitions I had regarding sharing on a personal level were deeply ingrained.

Gradually that attitude has begun to change. It has taken time and I sense that it could have happened many years ago. After four decades in the Fellowship I am now more in contact with new members than ever before. What's more it is me that is benefiting more than anyone else. To be given the privilege of hearing others sharing personal problems encourages me to do the same.

I am learning from new members and I am also being reminded that I remain as powerless over alcohol as I was when I joined the Fellowship in 1979. That teachable spirit is proving a wonderful boom and I'm learning just how little I know. What powerful perceptions are conveyed to me by newcomers. One by one, lights are switched on for them and some of these lights are seen to flicker in my own conscience too. I'm also reminded of the dangers of ever thinking that length of sobriety is directly related to knowledge. Far from it. Rather, it is me that is growing in knowledge from a very low base, rejuvenated by the sharing and personal contact with new members.

I shy away from any notion of being a 'guru', something which seems to fly in the face of the whole of AA ethos. One of the most important lessons for me is to discover just how little I know and how vital it is for me to continue to keep it simple. A simple Programme for a simple 'alkie'.

Yours aye

Donald

Skye