After we have admitted our powerlessness over drugs and alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable, and saw how we needed to believe in a Higher Power who could alleviate the insanity we suffered, we came to page 25 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. The first full paragraph starts out in italics. Whenever we see italics in the Big Book that means what it says it very important. The first line states “There is a solution.” This solution is outlined as self-searching (step 4), leveling of pride (steps 4 & 5), and the confession of shortcomings (step 5) that the process requires for its successful consummation.
There is a promise at the end of the paragraph which states that “He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.” The first item on the list of His (Higher Power) accomplishments is rendering us and keeping us sober. This is something I was totally incapable of doing. I could not imagine a life without alcohol and drugs. The physical craving caused my body to scream out for more and more of these lethal substances. Surely this is evidence that I was stark raving insane. It was a good enough example for me at the time. In fact, it is still a quite good example for me even after a number of years of sobriety.
Some of us balk at having to share our shortcomings with another human being. However further along in the book it states that we must share these things with another. The reason is that if we don’t, we may not overcome drinking. That’s about as good a reason as any to take these steps and apply them in our lives.
The 12 steps are a proven solution to permanent sobriety. If we are diligent and continue to apply the steps and principles we learned at the beginning of our sobriety chances are we will stay sober the rest of our lives. And we won’t even miss that drink, pill or fix. The Higher Power makes this all possible. When I came into the program, I had a belief in God. However, I did not have a relationship with Him. I recall that I used to pray before going out on a spree for God to take care of me. To me this is a very insane thing which I did. I was asking for forgiveness for that which I was about to do! I didn’t pray to stop what I was doing I just prayed to basically get away with it without consequences. Tell me I wasn’t insane!
Thank God that there is a solution for people like you and me. Without this program I know I would have died in 1985. I know this for a fact. I had a still small voice say to me daily “if you don’t get sober by summer you will be dead.” I tried to drown out these words with more alcohol and drugs. It didn’t work any longer. Thank God that I got sober on April 3, 1985 or I know deep down in my soul that I would have been dead by that summer. There is a solution.
