The Promises of Alcoholics Anonymous

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and selfpity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

Like most addicts and alcoholics, when I first thought about putting the drugs and the drink down, I wanted to know one thing: what's in it for me?
Enter The Promises taken from pages 83-84 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. These pages were the answer to my question and over the years, I have found them to be true. Looking back, they materialized right before my eyes.
Although beginning a program of recovery is tough and even unpleasant at times, these promises are the reason that people stick it out and stay around. These promises have taken me through some very difficult times and as they say, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, they will always materialize if we work for them.

The Beginning of AA, as narrated by Bill Wilson, founder

Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, narrates the story of the beginning of AA.

Ken Seeley Addresses His Eating Disorder Using 12 Steps

The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are not simply a way to quit drinking. Rather, they are 12 steps that when implemented on an ongoing basis result in a new way of life. It would make sense, then, that these 12 steps can be used for any unmanageable behavior.
Ken Seeley has been in recovery for over 19 years. He has decided now to start a video blog that will document the progress he makes as he deals with his eating disorder using the 12 steps.

Check back often for updates on Ken's progress.

In The Rooms® Recovery Network

Intervention911 is now a part of the largest growing recovery network on the web! Please join us and thousands of others share our experience, strength and hope with one another.

In The Rooms

Ken Seeley Speaks the Truth About Intervention

Interventionist Ken Seeley explains intervention & what families should do to help addicted or alcoholic family members. Our treatment centers have all the tools you need to help your family member stop drinking or doing drugs.

Emotional Sobriety

I sat in a meeting last night and listened to a wheelchair bound man talk. He didn't talk about how much it sucked for him to be handicapped, which he has been for over 17 years, or how much harder it is to stay sober without the use of his legs.
No, he spoke in depth about emotional sobriety.

That's the thing: life without drugs and alcohol is great, really it is. But without a solid program of recovery and spirituality in place, it simply will not be all that it can be. In fact, it may be downright miserable. Recovery is not about putting down the drink or the drug. That is only the beginning. Recovery is about getting inside of yourself, finding out what plagues you and dealing with the issues that make you want to run from reality. Once you can look at those issues and start to walk through them, leaving guilt, anger and blame along the path as you go, the real healing begins. Without a good program of recovery, an addict is left with themselves, and they are still suffering from the sickness. The substances are merely a symptom of the problem and left untreated, that problem will rear its ugly head again and again.
As I listened to "X" speak about emotional sobriety it dawned on me, as it has before, that if this were just about drugs and alcohol, 12 step meetings would be sparse, but they are not. You can walk into a meeting of AA or NA or the like and it will likely be packed. It will be packed with some people who are struggling to stay sober. The majority, though, are people who are struggling with regular life problems. As addicts, we behaved in ways that were shameful, bitter and unhealthy. As addicts in recovery, we are given the option of living differently. We have the choice to use the same survival mechanisms that we used in our addiction or use new ones where we don't get to hurt other people in the process.
That is what emotional sobriety is about. Being clean and sober isn't enough. Being clean and sober within one's heart and mind is more than enough. Getting there demands honesty and hard work.
This same man who was speaking last night once told me: "AA is not for people who need it, not for people who want it, but for people who are willing to work their ass off to get it."