Page 298 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

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THE MISSING LINK 287
situations when and if they ever arrived. I decided to
give sobriety a try, one day at a time, and I’ve done it
that way ever since.
When I entered Alcoholics Anonymous, I had done
some damage physically, had a bouquet of mental
quirks, and was spiritually bankrupt. I knew I was
powerless over alcohol and that I needed to be open-
minded toward what people suggested for recovery.
However, when it came to spirituality, I fought it
nearly every step of the way. Although raised in an
ethnic and religious Jewish household, I was agnostic
and very resistant to anyone and anything that I per-
ceived to be imposing religious beliefs. To my sur-
prise, Alcoholics Anonymous suggested something
different.
The idea that religion and spirituality were not one
and the same was a new notion. My sponsor asked
that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility
that there was a Power greater than myself, one of my
own understanding. He assured me that no person
was going to impose a belief system on me, that it was
a personal matter. Reluctantly, I opened my mind to
the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something
to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly but surely, I realized
there was indeed a Power greater than myself, and I
soon found myself with a full-time God in my life and
following a spiritual path that didn’t conflict with my
personal religious convictions.
Following this spiritual path made a major differ-
ence in my life. It seemed to fill that lonely hole that
I used to fill with alcohol. My self-esteem improved
dramatically, and I knew happiness and serenity as I
had never known it before. I started to see the beauty