A Beautiful Life

                           The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states, speaking in reference to the Ninth Step, "if we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through.  We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.  We will not resist the past nor wish to shut the door on it.  We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.  No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.  The feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear.  We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.  Self seeking will slip away.  Our whole attitude upon life will change.  Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us.  We will intuitively know how to handle things which use to baffle us.  We will realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves."
                 If we are willing to surrender to the will of God through the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, we can be free of the manifestation of our character defects in our behavior.  Our self centered life will leave us as we experience serenity and peace.  This experience of peace allows us to perceive life in a way that is joyful and to respond to that joy with love for others even though the circumstances of our life may not have changed.  This love for others is the expression of us experiencing A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

The Fourth Dimension Of Life

                          In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says "we shall describe some of the states that precede a relapse into drinking, for obviously this is the crux of the problem.  What sort of thinking dominates an alcoholic who repeats time after time the experiment of the first drink.....therefore the main problem of the alcoholic centers in the mind rather than in the body."
                If our thought processes are propelled by the will of God rather than our human instinct then we will not drink and  our character defects cannot manifest themselves in our behavior.  Our character has been perfected as we are now the human being God created us to be.
                In  THE FOURTH DIMENSION OF LIFE  we become a human being that cares about others in a genuine way and wants to help others.  We think of others needs before our own.  In the Big Book of AA it states "our very lives as ex problem drinkers depends upon our constant thoughts of others and how we may help meet their needs."
                We use all the tools of recovery but above all we must turn from our human nature and live in the will of God and by doing so we will live a human life we could have only imagined as we will manifest THE FOURTH DIMENSION OF LIFE.  A life free of the bondage of self.        

Experience The Third Step Prayer

                           Having admitted complete defeat.  Having admitted to our innermost self that we were alcoholic. Understanding that our human power could not overcome our alcoholism.  Having begun to trust in God as a solution to our problem, we were now at Step Three as we had decided, made a final choice, to turn our will which is our thoughts and our life, which is our behavior over to the care of God.  Going forward we are making a final choice that our thought process will no longer be propelled by our human instinct but rather by the will of God.  I got down on my knees and prayed "God I offer myself to thee, to build with me and do with me as Thou wilt.  Relieve me of the bondage of self so that I may better do Thy will.  Take away my difficulties that victory over them will bear witness to Thy power, Thy love and Thy way of life.  May I do Thy will always."
                  This is an important and critical step for the beginning of the transformation of our thought process which is essential and must occur if we are to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.  However this is only a beginning.  Now that we have taken a Third Step we must complete the remaining steps so that the transformation of our thought process is complete.  Once completed we can receive the full benefit of the Third Step prayer as we can trust in God for not only a solution to our use of alcohol but as a solution to all of our problems.

Reliance Not Defiance

                            In the Big Book of alcoholics Anonymous it says "when we encountered A A the fallacy of our defiance was revealed.  At no time had we asked what God's will was for us.  Instead we had been telling God what it ought to be.  No man we saw could believe in God and defy God.  Belief meant RELIANCE NOT DEFIANCE.  We saw them meet and transcend their other pains and trials.  We saw them accept impossible situations, seeking neither to run nor recriminate.  This was not only faith, but faith that worked under all conditions.  We soon concluded that whatever price in humility we must pay, we would pay."
                 Reliance upon God is the basis of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and humility is the key that unlocks the door to the grace of God.  The Twelve Steps of A A moves us from developing a faith in God into trusting in God and finally a true reliance upon God in every area of our life.  This relationship with God allows us to transcend the travails of life in such a way that we are not self centered and caught in our own needs and problems but rather trusting in the will of God as it unfolds in our life freeing us to be open to the world around us and sensitive to the needs of others.    

The Foundation For Progress

                 he Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states "the idea that somehow, someday, the alcoholic will control their drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker.  The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.  Many pursue it to the gates of insanity and death.  We learned, I through relapse, that we had to fully concede to our innermost self that we are alcoholic...The delusion that we are like other people has to be smashed."
                We learn through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous that we must admit that we are powerless over alcohol  and that our lives are unmanageable. We must concede to our innermost self that we are alcoholic and yes, we must admit complete defeat.
                Once we have done this we than have THE FOUNDATION FOR PROGRESS in the actual program of Alcoholics Anonymous upon which we can build a life, a real life.  A life of contribution that allows us to be who we were created to be, thus restoring our self esteem and allows others to be themselves without judgement on our part  A life that is measured by the love we give away.   

Powerlessness Understood

                           So much has been accomplished and a good portion of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous has been completed but now the personal relationship with and the dependence on God takes on a much deeper and all encompassing meaning.
               In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous in the chapter How It Works it says, "we are in the world to play the role God assigns."  I have learned through experience that this may be accomplished through the practice of the Twelve Steps and specifically by integrating Step Eleven into my life.   But it is the Tenth Step through daily examination where we uncover that our character defects continue to manifest themselves in our behavior, even though this reaction to life is not what we want.  It is here in the conflict of not wanting to manifest my character defects in my behavior but POWERLESS  not to have this occur that I am thrown back into Step One and I can now clearly see that I am not only powerless over my use of alcohol but I am powerless over every aspect of my life.  I had previously learned, at a cognitive level, that all my life must be given to the care and direction of God but now through personal experience I perceive this with more clarity and at a much deeper level.
               It is in the taking of the daily inventory that we begin to fully understand the power and pervasiveness of our character defects encoded in our human nature.  To overcome the manifestation of our character defects in our behavior we must subrogate our human nature too and we must abandon ourselves utterly to the will of God for it is in the infinite power and love of God that we are healed.

Self Will Or God's Will

                   The importance of Step Three is that a decision is made (a final choice) for our thought process to no longer be propelled by our human instincts (SELF WILL) but rather by the will of God through inspiration.  Inspiration is defined as the thoughts of God implanted in the mind and soul of man.
                 The Third Step is "made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."  In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous in the chapter How It Works it states "the first requirement for the taking of the Third Step is that we be convinced, meaning that we have exhausted all argument, that any life run on self will can hardly be a success.  "Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful.  Without help it is to much for us.  But there is One who has all power, that One is God may you find Him now."  It also says "selfishness-self centeredness that we think is the root of our troubles.  So our troubles we think are of our own making.  And the alcoholic is an extreme example of  self will run riot."  Self will is our thought process propelled by our human instincts.  In the Big Book it says "above everything we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness and there seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid."
                 I learned in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous that we have three basic instincts, a social, sexual and security instinct.  These instincts are God given and necessary for life but in me I can never get enough of what it is I think I need .  The great psychiatrist Sigmund Freud defines an instinct as a bodily need manifested in our thought process.  It is here that our character defects exist but these same defects which will always exist  to some extent in our human nature cannot possibly be manifested in our behavior when our thought process is propelled by GOD'S WILL through inspiration.
 

Self Will Or God's Will

                       The 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is "having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these principles in all our affairs."  This step clearly places a responsibility upon me as I can't possibly give away that which I don't have.  The Big Book of AA says "we have recovered and been given the power to help others."  The power to help others is a direct result of the spiritual awakening, received in Step Twelve, and until that has occurred for us it is going to be pretty difficult for that to occur for other alcoholics that we may be helping.  But once the spirit has been awakened within us we can"t possibly be in the will of God without helping others.  Once the spirit has been awakened  and we now have the power we are asked to carry this message not only through our words, but also by incorporating the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps, into our lives so that our behavior can be an example for others.  Once the spirit has been awakened in them they can then lead a recovered life.  They will then have the power to help others in the sense that is necessary so that others may recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body,  

Self Centeredness

                       The 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is "having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these principles in all our affairs."  This step clearly places a responsibility upon me as I can't possibly give away that which I don't have.  The Big Book of AA says "we have recovered and been given the power to help others."  The power to help others is a direct result of the spiritual awakening, received in Step Twelve, and until that has occurred for us it is going to be pretty difficult for that to occur for other alcoholics that we may be helping.  But once the spirit has been awakened within us we can"t possibly be in the will of God without helping others.  Once the spirit has been awakened  and we now have the power we are asked to carry this message not only through our words, but also by incorporating the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps, into our lives so that our behavior can be an example for others.  Once the spirit has been awakened in them they can then lead a recovered life.  They will then have the power to help others in the sense that is necessary so that others may recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body,  

The 12th Step - Can't Possibly Give Away That Which You Don't Have

                       The 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is "having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these principles in all our affairs."  This step clearly places a responsibility upon me as I can't possibly give away that which I don't have.  The Big Book of AA says "we have recovered and been given the power to help others."  The power to help others is a direct result of the spiritual awakening, received in Step Twelve, and until that has occurred for us it is going to be pretty difficult for that to occur for other alcoholics that we may be helping.  But once the spirit has been awakened within us we can"t possibly be in the will of God without helping others.  Once the spirit has been awakened  and we now have the power we are asked to carry this message not only through our words, but also by incorporating the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps, into our lives so that our behavior can be an example for others.  Once the spirit has been awakened in them they can then lead a recovered life.  They will then have the power to help others in the sense that is necessary so that others may recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body,