“AA was the gateway – not the destination. I’m on that bridge to normal living – the most amazing bridge in the world.”

AA is the gateway, not the final destination.

Early in sobriety, I heard people say, “AA is a bridge to normal living”.I wanted that so much – to have a normal life. I never had one – I was born without the instruction manual.

A favourite song of mine contained the lyrics, ‘eager to please, ready to fight’, and that was me. I wanted people to like me, but I could also reduce them to tears if necessary. Is it possible to swap the bottle for AA? But that wasn’t what I sought. I wanted to be well, not just to stop drinking. It was my responsibility to read the Big Book, get a sponsor and work through the Steps – but I was always willing to seek professional help as well.

‘God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds. Do not hesitate to take your health problems to such persons. Most of them give freely of themselves that their fellows may enjoy sound minds and bodies. Try to remember that though God has wrought miracles among us, we should never belittle a good doctor or psychiatrist. Their services are often indispensable in treating a newcomer and in following his case afterward’. (Alcoholics Anonymous page 133.)

Reading the book was straightforward. It was pointed out by straight-talking fellow members that the words were the black type on the white pages. The pages were numbered, and a dictionary would be helpful too. But it’s not only about reading the book – it’s about knowing it, understanding it and applying it to my everyday life. If I find other people are a problem, then perhaps I’m the problem? I repaired my relationships with all those around me – family, colleagues and friends. But a lifetime of anxiety meant I had to go much further. The AA programme was the start, but professional help has been there too.

Today, I have a kind, happy, loving family, a wealth of friends and a wide range of interests. My journey of discovery began by me not picking up the first drink, one day at a time, then by following 12 simple Steps, which were numbered in the correct order.

The biggest challenge for me is ‘practising these principles in all my affairs’. (Alcoholics Anonymous Page 60.)

AA was the gateway – not the destination. I’m on that bridge to normal living – the most amazing bridge in the world.

Anonymous