The Eleventh Step is the lifeline for the alcoholic.
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact
with God as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His
will for us and the power to carry it out." Prayer and meditation were
not something I initially incorporated into my practices of the program
of Alcoholics Anonymous. Why? I don't really know. The only
answer that I can come up with is that at some level I was still
defiant, egotistical and lacked the humility necessary to pray and
meditate daily. I was talking the talk but not walking the walk. I had
worked the previous steps well and certainly to the best of my
ability. I was excited by the program of AA and all the promise it held
for me but I have learned through experience that the human nature is a
strong foe, unwilling to pray and meditate daily to
improve on a conscious contact with God. I had taken many people
through
the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I had read the first 164
pages of the Big Book hundreds of times and attended so many meetings
that I can't begin to guess how many. But prayer and meditation at the
level necessary to perceive and do God's will, well that was not in my
thoughts and therefore, not on my agenda.
Then one day, after a decade of
sobriety, I came home from the gym and stepped out of the car
experiencing such sever pain that I fell to the ground. I was unable to move
for what seemed like such a long time but in reality was only a minute or
so. I had suffered from back problems most of my adult life but I had
never experienced such severe pain. The subsequent M.R.I. disclosed
seven herniated discs, an arthritic spine, spinal stenosis, degenerative
vertebrae and a degenerated left hip. This left me unable
to function. I spent the next twelve months of my life incapacitated,
ten months of which I was unable to sit as I had to stand or lay. The
medical community offered me a solution of surgery with a 15% chance of
some improvement, heavy blood loss and five to six hours on the
operating table. The surgeon said that the surgery was so difficult
that he would only encourage it if I could no longer tolerate the pain.
I was directed to a kind and loving doctor who has the
ability to identify emotional blocks that prevent healing. After
some months of treatment and with some improvement he said to me as I was
lying on the table, "I am picking up energy of a resentful nature." As
soon as he said this I instantly and clearly identified my mom, my dad,
and my sister - all of whom I had made amends to and prayed to forgive but
at some level deep down inside the cells of my body I was unable to
bring about the healing needed to release this resentful energy.
When I returned home I immediately began to pray and
meditate and did so on a daily basis as I was unable to function, in
severe pain and incapable of complete forgiveness for my family. After
several days I experienced a forgiveness for my family emanating from
deep within. This experience of forgiveness, through the grace of God,
was brought about by the daily practice of prayer and meditation. On
the 14th of June in the year 2001, while meditating, I knew for the
first time in my life that my life was worth something. I had never had
that feeling before. At the age of 54, after 11 years of sobriety, I
had self esteem. My prayer for you is that if you haven't already you
will incorporate daily prayer and meditation into your life.
Finding The Power Within me has been possible only through learning and incorporating The Twelve Steps of Recovery into my life. In order to continue to feel that Presence, I must continue to improve my conscious contact with The Power Within. That is the explicit purpose of prayer and meditation as defined in Step 11. Conscious contact represents a state of being not a state of doing. I want to know without thinking that I am being loved and guided by a Power far greater and more loving than my own human capability. Daily communication with that Power through prayer and meditation has had the effect of creating a peace of mind which assures me that all is well in my life at a level deeper than anything my mind and will could ever achieve. This is a strength heretofore unknown and unfelt in my life.
ReplyDeleteMichael Each day is a new day. There is a constant in the life of an alcoholic and that is self centered fear. That fear has and will exist in the very nature of an alcoholic unless treated. The treatment for an alcoholic who has completed the 12 Steps is Prayer And Meditation. An alcoholic who did not Pray And Meditate in this day runs the risk of suffering from untreated alcoholism even though they may not drink...Thank you so much...Armand
ReplyDelete