Whenever a person goes through any form of hardships, it consists of an event or events that tends to lead to a negative outcome. For Me Personally, My AA Sponsor told me that he cannot sponsor me anymore. I will admit that I was crushed because he has been my mentor for 12 years now. Right now, I have to start all over again when it comes to looking for an AA Sponsor.
Next, I want to inform everyone that I do not accept failure very well. The reason why is because I have never been taught on how to accept any form of criticism unless it is coming from my elders that are in my family. I have been accepting constructive criticism from my nieces and nephews themselves. Most people tend to either fight me physically or mentally. I end up still feeling scarred.
Hardships is like pushing or pulling something that is much heavier than yourself. I know that I have been pushing other people’s weight around all of my entire life. I am not saying that I am a gullible person. I am straightforward when it comes to my opinions. I know that my life has been filled with ups and downs as of late.
My definition of the word hardships are physical and mental or emotional demands that a person applies to themselves. I know that life is really what you make of it! I know that my life has not been very easy to deal with. I want to inform all of you that when my Elders died in my family, I felt very sad and depressed.
Further, I want to inform all of you that when my great grandmother passed away, I knew that she was not coming back. I cried for over an entire week. I even cried at her funeral. The circumstances regarding her death could have been avoided.
My great grandmother did not have any business being committed to a Nursing Home in the first place. I could have taken care of my grandmother. I had a house in the Toledo, Ohio Area during that time. I know that my family members and I really do not speak to each other. It is not my fault! I love my family members, but they really do not love themselves.
Moreover, I want to say that if we are placing too much physical, mental, emotional, psychological, or financial demands on ourselves then we are going to fail at everything at life. This is the reason why we all have to remain optimistic about our present and future.
In Addition, the wear and tear that we put on our bodies, it will cause all of us to suffer a lot. This is like a form of pressure that we are applying to ourselves prematurely. I want all of you to know that God does want all of us to live and serve Him. God wants all of us to be Christlike and save other people.
Finally, I want to inform all of you that we have to be positive in our lives sometimes. No matter what we are going through, we are supposed to make a difference in another person’s life. I know that my life has been filled with some of the dramas that have been in my life. At this time, please keep me in your prayers. Thank You Very Much!!
What topics do I like to discuss are consumer spending and politics. The reason why is because they are topics that are trending right now. My Faith in God is very important to me; The Lord God is doing for me more than I am doing for myself. I have some bad news. My AA Sponsor fired me because he told me that his job was more important than my relationship with AA Fellowship. I cried because I have known him for 12 years now. Right now I have to start all over in working the 12 Steps of AA Recovery. Therefore staying clean and sober is very important to me. My relationship with God is very important to me as well.
The first step of anything is a beginning, so the first step of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 steps is the beginning of your recovery process. It’s actually really exciting, because it’s the first day of a new life. This is where the healing starts.
Doing the 12 steps is also referred to as “working” the steps, because it requires willingness, effort and action. It is said the 12 steps of AA is compared to markers put out lovingly on a path by those who preceded us, to direct us on our journey. The journey can seem daunting from the perspective of a person at the beginning but fortunately all we are asked to do is to take one step at a time.
Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
If lucky, our journey has taken us to arriving at a point of surrender. For some people the road they traveled getting to the first step in AA has been more than enough to convince them that unconditional surrender is the only option for recovery.
For a lot of people in recovery, walking into a treatment center or an AA meeting the first time is a major part of “working” step one. Your simple and humble act of asking for help is effectively an admission of powerlessness and unmanageability.
Most addicts are filled with guilt, shame, remorse, and self-loathing when they come into the rooms of AA. They’ve also gotten very used to keeping secrets from pretty much everyone, so opening up about the nature and extent of your alcoholic behavior is going against the grain. It may even feel completely unnatural and you probably don’t want to do it. But sharing your experience and the unmanageability lifts the burden of lugging them around in secret. Letting go of your secrets frees you up to move forward with a different, better life. For many people, the act of sharing Step One in an AA meeting is the true start of recovery.
However, becoming abstinent from alcohol will also be a requirement for starting to work the first step. The first step is all about looking at the effects of alcoholism in your life and for what is needed to be clean: to find a way to stop the behaviors with a perspective that isn’t clouded by alcohol. If you’ve been clean for a while, then the first step is about powerlessness over behaviors that make your life unmanageable.
Step One: Doing The “Work”
There are a lot of things alcoholics can do to fully work Step One. Most of the work is designed to unearth your complete history of use and abuse.
Inventories are a great way to work the steps—even starting with Step One. You can make a few lists:
A Consequences List: The easiest way to break through the fog of addiction is to create a list of consequences related to the behavior.
Powerlessness List: Go for as many examples of your powerlessness over your addictive behavior as possible. Be as fearlessly honest as you can, starting with early examples and ending with the most recent. (A note on “Powerlessness” this is used to exemplify the cravings in an alcoholic [or any addict] that are so intense that the ability to resist is almost impossible. Once an alcoholic takes a drink, a chemical reaction occurs within that body, setting off an intense craving for more.)
Unmanageability List: Write out the ways in which your addiction has created chaos and destruction in your life.
Here are some other really great questions to ask yourself while doing Step One:
What does the disease of addiction mean to me?
How has my disease affected me physically? Mentally? Spiritually? Emotionally? Financially?
How does the self-centered part of my disease affect my life and the life of those around me?
Have I blamed other people for my behavior?
Have I compared my addiction with other people’s addictions?
What does unmanageability mean to me?
What troubles have been caused because of my addiction?
Have I used alcohol or drugs to change or suppress my feelings?
What reservations am I still holding onto?
Do I accept that I’ll never regain “control” over drinking, even after a long period without use?
What could my life be like if I surrendered completely?
Am I WILLING: to follow a sponsor’s direction, go to meetings regularly and give recovery my best effort?
Have I made peace with the fact that I’m an alcoholic and that I’ll have to do things to stay clean?
Responsibility & Acceptance in AA
For each and every one of the millions of success stories in AA you will hear repeatedly about responsibility. It is our responsibility to stay involved in sobriety and follow our sponsor’s suggestions. It is our responsibility to actively cultivate and grow willingness. It’s important to grasp that you are not “powerless” completely: you do have the power to engage in a program of recovery, the power to choose not to abuse substances….but you are powerless over drugs and alcohol if you put them in your body.
Acceptance comes when we feel a profound sense of hope and peace in coming to terms with our addiction and recovery. We don’t dread a future of meeting attendance, sponsor contact and step work; instead we begin to see recovery is a precious gift.
It has been my experience that doing the steps has brought me serenity and the welcome realization that AA is not just a program where sick people get well—it is a way of living that is rewarding in and of itself.
Lot’s of people find that once they do Step One, that all manner of help appears! I feel grateful to have a program that expands as I grow. Having a firm foundation in recovery through steps has also given me a welcoming fellowship to accompany me in my journey.
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Let’s put you to the test… PERFECT! You’re a regular animal (and vocabulary) expert! I bet you know your pandemonium from your convocation! Your colony from your swarm! Challenge your friends, I bet they won’t do half as well as you did. Just try to be gentle when you’re correcting people when they call a group of lions “a pack”. You got 17 out of 20 right – 85% (Show Mistakes) Share your result with friends and see how they compare!
My risk that I have taken is by living in a house that was inside of a gang infested neighborhood in the Toledo, Ohio Area from 1991 through 1994. I asked the Lord God to please protect me while I was a student at the University of Toledo. I also asked God to please help me with my classes because they were difficult for me. Honestly I was living in a Crack House for 3 years. I attended church at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church located on Nebraska Avenue in Toledo, Ohio. Lord Jesus, please allow me to attend church and college again in the future. I am willing to listen and comply with you Lord Jesus.
How Come Life is Not as Meaningful as it used to be?
How Come Life Itself is not so meaningful?
Sometimes when the downs outweigh the ups then everyone knows that life is slowing down. I really think that God is showing me my options right now. There are times when things tend to slow down physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
Next, when it comes to a meaningful life, it consists of all of the positives plus the experiences that comes along the way. I want to mention that my 58 years of existence were pleasant. There were times when it was not as pleasant.
Life itself is really what you really make of it. What I am trying to say is that everyone is supposed to consult with God to find out what is the meaning of your life. As soon as God shows you your true meaning of life; it will make you feel better right now. I know that my life consists of helping people right along the way. I know that my life has a lot of emotional drive. My life is filled with accomplishments.
Further, my life as we speak has been filled with more downs than ups. I supposed that I am really supposed to define my life with God’s help. Lord Jesus, at this time, I would like for you to please direct me in a way that is feasible. I will admit that I am supposed to have children. Moreover, my meaning of life is defined by God Himself. My life has been filled with more of the spiritual way of living. I know that I have a connection with God. It is that I have to still resolve all of my personal issues with God, Jesus Christ, other people, and myself. It reminds me of a Step 5 in AA. We have to admit to God, ourselves, and others the exact nature of our wrongs. I know that God is my All!!
Finally, I want to inform all of you that the meaning of life is specifically created by God. I know that only God can define my moments that I have with Him. God knows exactly what is going on with me all by himself. I want to inform all of you that we have to consult with God just to see where we stand with Him. Flowers are very nice.
I know that my life is filled with sadness and pain. I want to say that my life had a lot of problems in the past, but my present life is pleasant. My whole body is filled with pains and strains. My physical problems have gotten the best of me personally. I am still having pain inside of my body. My vertebrae are hurting right now. I am suffering from bone disease, diabetes, and seizure disorders.
In Conclusion, I want to say that my life is in a lot of pain. My pain radiates throughout my body. I know that my problems are getting the best of me right now. My family members and friends know that I have been sleeping too much. If I were to go and see a Chiropractor, I would be dead by now. This is because my bones are hurting in three places.
My neck pain as well as my lower back pain hurts me a whole lot. I am suffering from Degenerative Bone Disease and Diabetes very bad. God please apply your Hands on my entire back and heal me from my physical problems. I really need to touch the garments of His clothes, and I will be healed. Lord Jesus, please heal me from all of my pain right now. I need a physical and mental healing throughout my entire body right now.
In Summary, Lord Jesus, I would like for you to please heal me because every time, I walk my body is in pain. I have been feeling sick for over 25 years now. Lord God, please lead me and guide me for the rest of my life. In Jesus Name I Pray Amen!!
The Meaning of life itself varies from person to person. It depends on what are my Spiritual Gifts that I have right now. I know that my life has been filled with both negative and positive charges that tends to circulate throughout my body. Thank You for reading my essay!!
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