A Dozen Steps

Honesty Is The Truth

by Mark on June 26th, 2006

Honesty is the truth and the truth will set us free!

I count myself blessed to have learned that this is a principle to live by that offers peace - of mind.

It did however, take quite some time in recovery to learn to be able to practice with any level of success and I sometimes need to be reminded of that. I develop expectations. Part of my nature I imagine. I often have this expectation that when I offer a newcomer sound thoughts based on experience gained through personal pain and suffering - that they’ll give those thoughts the weight I think they ought to, and they toss them right out the window.

Not only do they toss them out the window, they come back at me with their own untreated alcoholism and out and out defend their actions and deny the truth!

Another part of my nature is my humanity. When my experience, learned through pain and suffering, is thrown out the window and denied, I suffer hurt feelings, momentarily. Then I remember I’m not in control. I let go.

Yesterday, I had a newcomer make the attempt to use my comments as an excuse to stop going to meetings and avoid AA. If you are a relative newcomer and are attempting for the first few times, to help another suffering alcoholic, know this please!

I didn’t have the power to get you sober and I don’t have the power to get you drunk! If you want to use my words as an excuse you’re a liar. Simple. You had a reservation to begin with. You had yourself set up for an excuse. I had nothing to do with it.

On a completely related note - I’m reconsidering my testimony for Sobriety Nite Live. I’ll leave the judgement up to those who are qualified to make it.

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POSTED IN: Experience, Strength and Hope, Opinion, Principles