Page 290 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
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                                                THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM             275
                                 artificial crutch, either alcohol or sedatives. Letting go
                                 of everything at once was both painful and terrifying.
                                 I could never have accomplished this alone. It took
                                 the help, understanding, and wonderful companion­
                                 ship that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie
                                 friends—this and the program of recovery embodied
                                 in the Twelve Steps. In learning to practice these steps
                                 in my daily living, I began to acquire faith and a phi­
                                 losophy to live by. Whole new vistas were opened up
                                 for me, new avenues of experience to be explored, and
                                 life began to take on color and interest. In time, I
                                 found myself looking forward to each new day with
                                 pleasurable anticipation.
                                    A.A. is not a plan for recovery that can be finished
                                 and done with. It is a way of life, and the challenge
                                 contained in its principles is great enough to keep any
                                 human being striving for as long as he lives. We do
                                 not, cannot, outgrow this plan. As arrested alcoholics,
                                 we must have a program for living that allows for lim­
                                 itless expansion. Keeping one foot in front of the other
                                 is essential for maintaining our arrestment. Others
                                 may idle in a retrogressive groove without too much
                                 danger, but retrogression can spell death for us.
                                 However, this isn’t as rough as it sounds, as we do be­
                                 come grateful for the necessity that makes us toe the
                                 line, and we find that we are compensated for a con­
                                 sistent effort by the countless dividends we receive.
                                    A complete change takes place in our approach to
                                 life. Where we used to run from responsibility, we find
                                 ourselves accepting it with gratitude that we can suc­
                                 cessfully shoulder it. Instead of wanting to escape
                                 some perplexing problem, we experience the thrill
                                 of challenge in the opportunity it affords for another
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