12-Steps in Action

A friend in the program has been facing challenges these days, the kind that that used to lead him back to the bottle a few years ago.

His father is facing life-threatening medical issues. Communication with his girlfriend is problematic. To his credit his response has been to talk to his sponsor and remember that he lives his life one day at a time. And he hasn’t drank.

It’s a true miracle that in the face of such emotional burdens this man remains sober. A few years ago he’d of been at the bar. He spent years in and out of treatment programs - trying to get into recovery.  But it's only been the last few years that he's been able to live by the 12-steps and remain sober.

I've heard over and over that it's easy to stay sober when things are great. The euphoria of living on a "pink cloud"" is a wonderful high for those new to recovery. But when challenges show up, even small ones, that's when what we’ve learned gets tested.  However, if we believe we are powerless over alcohol and that our lives are unmanageable then we know that alcohol is only a brief respite – one that will lead us back down the road to disaster.

Knowing this man as I do, his behavior in these circumstances is probably the best testimonial one could witness about the effectiveness of 12 step programs. 

While I've heard stories similar to his many times over the past 21+ years, the fact that I know this man personally makes his ongoing sobriety all the more impressive.