AA is like anything else (sorta):

•You get out of it what you put into it (and a whole lot more probably (Alcoholics wouldn’t likely stand for anything less -lol).*

•Alot of people in AA aren’t that different from people out their.

I didn’t come into this life, or more to the point, I didn’t leave the nest very well prepared! And I certainly understood little about people. One of the things that puzzled me was how certain people managed to get along in life when they… 🤷‍♂️ Or, how some people think the world of people who appear to be complete jack-asses in my mind. The answer to the riddle is this: (some) People treat some people one way, and they treat others another

if you can’t deal with the personalities around you, how are you going to deal with your own Alcoholic personality? If you can’t deal with the personalities in AA (many of which are trying to be helpful) -where there is no alcohol, then how are you going to deal with the world outside of the rooms where:

•There is 🍸 (alcohol)

•Where alot of people either don’t understand you or don’t even care to

•Where there are real-life jerks out there, many of whom have bad intentions

insides outsides… a shame… I didnt… until** (rebel) Granville pointed out… There’s an old saying an Alcoholics Anonymous “Comparing your insides with somebody’s outside”.*** Well:

•A lot of times we have no choice because people don’t always readily throw themselves out there (we see only what they want us to see)

•When a lot of people 1st come in to Alcoholics Anonymous, they don’t feel very good, and they don’t feel very well about themselves. I feel that sometimes people come into the rooms and look around and feel like nobody can relate to what they’re going through -some of us look too happy, like life is perfect… And I guess there would be nothing wrong with that -except for the fact that in a lot of cases people’s lives are not perfect, and they are not happy -they just refuse to let anybody see it (ego, fear). And I don’t think this is good for anyone and I don’t think it’s a good representation of the program itself

We might all be equal in AA but we don’t all possess:

•The same motives

•The same (amount of) wisdom

•The same (amount of) knowledge

•The (same amount of) humity

Alcoholics rarely sober up under ideal conditions.

Something good rarely comes from poor decision making

The thing I love about Alcoholics Anonymous that’s different from the rest of the world outside is that the things we are suggested to do are suggested to do… WHEN WE FOLLOW THEM -EVERYBODY WINS!

*Perhaps nowhere more so than when practicing spiritual principles -do we reap a greater reward reward or harvest for our efforts -and why not? They are the most difficult -so it only makes sense they would be the most rewarding (AND THE MOST PLEASING TO GOD).

**Until I was able to do a thorough 4th and 5th step with my sponsor Granville and gain some perspective on the world through his experience… As I worked my way through the 4th and 5th step there was something very surprising that occurred:

•He asked me to come back the following week. Now here was a man that truly was getting to know me and accepted me. A lot of people whom I had dealt with in the past, really didn’t know me and yet they refused to accept me.

•If a mortal man could accept me as I am only knowing 60 to 70% of me thus far-then what could I expect from a God, who is all-loving, and unconditional in His acceptance -my Grandmother always told me “You can’t outdo God”.

And lastly, when we completed the 4th and 5th steps one of my greatest moments in recovery was when Granville told me “You’re not that bad Richard -you’re about in the middle (of all the people I’ve worked with)”.****

***A lot of Alcoholics lead very isolated lives -in many instances we never get close enough to other people -or, we never seem able to get far enough outside of ourselves to actually know other people… So end up with a very overblown view of ourselves compared to a very shallow understanding of those around us. 🤷‍♂️

****Until a person has been completely open and honest with at least one human being on this planet about who they are -We never know anything close to the complete and absolute unconditional love and acceptance God Himself and self offers us.

Another gift of this great program is I hold no malice we’re wishing no ill will towards any human being on this planet, past or present. Not all peoples are capable of reaching this level -It’s a gift I am not nearly grateful (often) enough for.