Sharing the program with others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worthwhile to us now. Our dark past is the very thing we have to share with others. This dark past is the greatest possession we have – the key to life and happiness for others. With this information we may be able to avert death and misery for new sufferers coming into the program. Nothing could be more altruistic than this. We now have meaning and purpose in our life beyond our wildest dreams.
To watch someone recover is an honor and a privilege which is given to us. Families may be restored. Small children may regain their mother or father from the addictive pit. Others may excel at work or in the home. A new sense of morality and manner of living may be evident in the person. Thy say you have to give it away to keep it. No longer is the sponsor bothered by the many questions of the new person. To be able to offer counsel and guidance to another is a gift in itself.
At times one may encounter a person who is not ready for the program. Their life may be a horrible mess but, in some way, they believe they can still manage things. Some people are able to live with this fallacy for a while. Usually, the quantity of drugs or alcohol increases (if they have any money to buy what they want) as their tolerance level for the substances increases. It takes more of a drug to achieve a desired effect. This can add to a sense of desperation and chaos. Unless a person hits rock bottom, however that may look, they will see no reason to recover.
Exposure to other sober persons and the fellowship just may help to bring about an act of surrender in the potential newcomer. The person may recognize someone from his drinking or using days and see that this person is now sober and happy. Thoughts start to enter the mind of the newcomer that maybe this program is not so bad after all and may work for him or her. After living a life of desperation and fear, the sober lives they are observing just may be the ticket for hem to have a good life. The newcomer sees things working out for others who have taken the steps. This may compel them to go forward in the program, find a sponsor and get on with the program of recovery.
