Recovery is attractive!
ATTRACTION… how can a group of drunks appear attractive? Well firstly, in AA we are a group of drunks in recovery and therefore trying to get well, and for many of us who have been through the Twelve Steps and continue to work the Programme, we have recovered from a hopeless state, which I was when I joined AA. Hopeless, fresh out of a treatment centre and trying to live life sober with enormous fear that I would drink again, I saw folk in meetings who were sober, well and happy…of course this attracted me. I knew that AA had something I wanted. Of course, alcoholics in recovery are also a lot more attractive to folk than alcoholics still drinking and all the madness and chaos than ensues with their active alcoholism.
Humility is a large part of recovery as I strive to not think less of myself but think of myself less. The Twelve Step Programme focussed my attention away from the ISM – I, SELF, ME – aspect of my alcoholism, where I was selfish, self-centred, and driven by a million forms of self-centred fear. Today I connect with the God of my understanding and ask how I can be useful in society, helpful to others, supportive of family members and work colleagues; giving rather than seeing what I can get! This is a huge change and it’s definitely a more peaceful, loving and harmonious way to live, which attracts both alcoholics and non-alcoholics.
Attraction rather than promotion… I can understand how we want to protect each and every member, their anonymity and their own personal journey of recovery, but there can be a fine line when trying to reach other alcoholics in society and show them that AA has a different way, a solution to alcoholism.
There are increasing storylines in TV dramas where a character has a drinking problem and is told about AA… this certainly spreads the message, but being a drama, this character often suffers a relapse and therefore publicity to those who do not understand can be adversely impacted. In the UK, others’ understanding of both alcoholism as an illness and AA as a solution is increasing, but we do have a long way to go.
Ultimately as members and groups of alcoholics in recovery, we can lean on the God of our own understanding and in Tradition Two style, allow the ultimate authority to guide our actions and decisions.
MICHELLE, Plymouth
