I accept my problem

At a 12 step meeting this morning the topic was acceptance.

But for those of us old timers who have been around for over 30 years it's still one of the most important words that one will hear in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.  And why is that?

In most cases it is quite simple.  But we alcoholics and addicts seem to have a proclivity for making things complex.   Those who are newcomers seem to have the most difficulty with this concept.  But think about it for a moment.  Until we accept the idea that we have problems there is not a chance in hell that we're able to solve it. 

It's like the discovery that our automobile has run out of gas.  Until we accept the fact that our tank is empty we're not going to be able to get going again until we buy a couple more gallons of gasoline.

It's not uncommon to hear people in the rooms blame nearly everything and everyone else for the fact that they have the problems they do.  They may have gotten a divorce.  Many have just been released from prison. They may have lost their job.  They may be ill or have suffered an accident. Whatever the situation, they don't accept that where they are in life is their responsibility.  Yet they must look in the mirror and point the finger at the image looking back at them: the face in the mirror looking back at them is the cause of all their problems.   

While it is true that many of us were brought up in an alcoholic home or bad neighborhoods what does that have to do with our lives today?   What can we do with that poor history?  About the only thing we can do about it is accept it.  Or we could take the destructive way out and go get drunk or high.  And it's really about as simple as that.

Nothing gives me more joy than when I hear an AA member accept the fact that all of his problems can be solved by one word: acceptance.  

If you're having a problem with that word, just try it on. If you let it sink in really deep you will find that you have discovered a wonderful cure for your alcoholism and addiction.

I promise that it works.

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