What honest admission have you felt the need to make, lately?
“Honesty is
the first chap-
ter of the book
of wisdom.”
– Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) 3rd US President
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MAKING AN HONEST ADMISSION –
“When we first
begin to practice
these principles, they
may seem very unnatural
to us.” “Even though we are
admitting our addiction,
we may still wonder if
this program will real-
ly work.” (It Works,
How & Why, p. 7)
Surrender – Billy Talent (4:07)
Story of “The Jaywalker” from the Big Book (1:30)
Inner Truth and Honest Admission Guided Meditation (6:31)
The Milkman and the River –
A milkman became very wealthy through dishonest means. He had to cross a river daily to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water of the river generously with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day he went around collecting the dues in order to celebrate the wedding of his son. With the large amount thus collected he purchased plenty of rich clothes and glittering gold ornaments. But while crossing the river the boat capsized and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk vendor was speechless with grief. At that time he heard a voice that came from the river, “Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you earned through cheating your customers. (http://www.english-for-students.com/Honesty-is-The-Best-Policy.html)
I still wonder if I’m really an alcoholic sometimes. I know I have some of the characteristics. But I don’t really want to try drinking again necessarily and I’ve grown a lot in AA. I feel like I still need to just call myself one and continue working the program even if I don’t believe it all the time.
My Al-Anon sponsor advises me to read AA literature and to substitute the word “think” every time I see the word “drink.” If ever I am in doubt about my need for recovery, this simple exercise shows me that I have a problem with thinking.
Its really a matter of looking for the similarities for me.
All the 12 step literature from different programs generally have a message I can identify with if I am honest with myself and look for the core meaning beneath.