With the odds of beating addiction and leading a productive life so low, the question has to be asked: \u00a0Why do some recover?\u00a0 What is it that those few people are doing that opens up the door for an addiction-free life?<\/p>\n
There are many factors involved, Divine intervention being one of them!\u00a0 But overall, the current path showing the best results are the 12-step programs. \u00a0“So what are they doing that other programs are not?” you may ask. \u00a0And I am here to tell you what I believe it is.<\/p>\n
The fundamental aspect of the 12-step programs is that you do not go it alone.\u00a0 One of the very first suggestions to a newcomer is to get a sponsor.\u00a0 It is strongly suggested that the person you choose to be your sponsor has at least one year in the program, goes to meetings regularly, has a sponsor them self, and inspires you to stick around.\u00a0 This person should be of the same sex; or in cases of gay or lesbian, they should be the opposite sex.\u00a0 Many deep emotional processes will be encountered in this relationship, and having a romantic interest would destroy the sanctity of the sponsor.<\/p>\n
It is well-known in the 12-step world that if you ignore this suggestion, the chances of your gaining long-term sobriety are bleak.\u00a0 Addiction is a disease of denial and deception. \u00a0And who knows better if you are living in denial or deceit than someone who is all too familiar with those states of being? \u00a0The old saying \u201cYou can\u2019t bullcrap a bullcrapper\u201d (insert your own profanity if you so choose) really applies here.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAn addict alone is in bad company\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Life was not intended to be lived in solitary.\u00a0 We live in the Realm of Relativity and we need others to help us shape our perspective.\u00a0 This is especially true to the recovering person as they have spent nearly their entire existence telling lies.\u00a0 This reminds me of a 12-step joke. Please indulge me here\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know how to tell if a newcomer is lying?\u201d says one 12-stepper to another? “<\/em><\/strong>Yes,” the other person says, “when their lips are moving!”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Sometimes recovery is down and dirty and you have to assume the worst in order to help someone get through a tough time.\u00a0 The one thing old-timers in the rooms know, pulling punches never helps anyone.\u00a0 You have to be straight, direct, blunt, and willing to alienate someone if your gut instincts tell you they are up to their old tricks.<\/p>\n
This is the area that the 12-step programs have nailed down perfectly.\u00a0 We do not need to have people in our lives that tell us what we want to hear.\u00a0 What everyone needs are people surrounding them who will speak their truth at all times.\u00a0 Compulsive behaviors, addiction, and deception cannot be practiced in the light of honesty and openness; this is what gives way to long-term sobriety.\u00a0 The Tenth Step says something profound:<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe continue to take personal inventory, and when we are wrong, promptly admit it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Wow! Imagine the world for just a moment if everyone used just that tiny part of the 12-step program in their daily life!\u00a0 Nevermind the humility it takes to do that, but think about the amazing conversations that we would be having with each other.\u00a0 Humans would bond together like molecules of water, ebbing and flowing with purpose through life.\u00a0 Some may argue that there is no \u201cright and wrong.\u201d \u00a0And I will give you that.\u00a0 So let\u2019s change the wording slightly:<\/p>\n
\n“We continue to take personal inventory. \u00a0And when we become aware that something we are doing is not an expression of who and what we are at our core, we promptly seek to make the changes necessary to bring ourselves back into alignment.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Let\u2019s face it, we are human. \u00a0And \u201cto err is human.\u201d\u00a0 This is the beauty of the Realm of the Relative. We always have events occurring that could use improvement.\u00a0 This is a process of evolution we are in here, and we have many opportunities to move along that path together. Every opportunity to express ourselves in our highest expression moves us to a place of greater understanding.\u00a0 By purposefully being aware of our own behavior, how it is sent, and how it is received, we offer ourselves and the other the space for expansion.<\/p>\n
(Kevin McCormack is a Conversations with God Life Coach, a Spiritual helper on <\/em>www.changingchange.net<\/span><\/a><\/span>, and an Addictions recovery advisor.\u00a0 You can visit his website for more information at www.Kevin-Spiritualmentor.com\u00a0<\/span><\/a> To connect with Kevin, please email him at<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Kevin@theglobalconversation.com<\/em><\/span><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the odds of beating addiction and leading a productive life so low, the question has to be asked: \u00a0Why do some recover?\u00a0 What is it that those few people are doing that opens up the door for an addiction-free life? There are many factors involved, Divine intervention being one of them!\u00a0 But overall, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[911,196,197,195,459,198,186,910],"class_list":["post-3897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction-and-recovery","tag-12-steps","tag-aa","tag-alcoholics-anonymous","tag-kevin-mccormack","tag-na","tag-narcotics-anonymous","tag-recovery","tag-relapse"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3924,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions\/3924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}