I work for these on a daily basis. Through the 12 steps a sponsor and co=sponsors, reading the material , and sharing my experience, strength, and hope that was so freely given to me.

For the newcomer notice the word WE, you don't have to do this alone and start living a life that was suppose to be lived.

i am working, my friend, i am working. devon

Always keep in mind the Promises are written as a part of and the result of doing the 9th Step.And the last line is the kicker-if we work for them.

Thank you for reminding us where the promises fit in, they are often read at the end of meetings where I live and no explanation given as to where you need to get to to effect them. This can lead to misinterpretation and I have often heard "sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly" misinterpreted and applied as an inappropriate answer to people seeking guidance.

For the new people that have joined this group recently that may not have seen this post.
This what you can look forward to, if you want what some of us have and you are wiling to go to any lengths to achieve sobriety and recovery.

A TWIST ON "THE PROMISES"

If I am careless about this phase of my development, I will be
lost before I am halfway through. I will renew my obsession with alcohol and sacrifice ALL true happiness. I will forget the word serenity, and have NO peace. No matter how far down the scale I have already gone, I will fall even lower. I will resent the past and then repeat it, over and over again. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will return, and more. I will focus on selfish things and hide from my fellows. Sanity will slip away. My whole attitude and outlook upon life will change for the worse. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will consume me. I will again be baffled by even the most normal of situations. I will suddenly believe that God wi ll do nothing for me. Are these extravagant consequences? I THINK NOT!! They have been Fulfilled within me, always quickly, always completely. They will always materialize when I cease to work this program of recovery......Godbless.......

Jim I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you posted this. I have been sober for years but have not been active in my AA program for far too long a period of timeat this point. The promises are true - they were true for me when I had 5 years of sobriety and they are true for me now. The only difference is that they don't feel true now - because I have gotten so far away from the steps and meetings. The strength that comes from an active program is beyond anything found in any other place for me. Thank you for that reminder - I need to go back to meetings now.

I have never heard that before Chris. It is a fairly accurate description of this disease, in that it is progressive both in mind and body. Only a spiritual awakening can pull us back from the brink and then a whole new way of life can be worked for and those promises, as set out in the Big Book, have come true for me like they have for so many others.

thankyou , sobernfree,,, i agree with you on that point.

here is a set of "promises" that will come waaay before the 9th step promises for those newcomers:

"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe."

Amen, Shorty...

To the new people that have joined this site and is seeking recovery. This is what you can expect if you have the wiliness to change and take direction for a better way of life. The key is, it takes a lot of work but well worth .
The is a solution. It works it you work it.

To Recovery

Don't forget the 10th step promise (page 85):

"We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it.
We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation.
We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutralityâ??safe and protected.
We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us.
We are neither cocky nor are we afraid.
That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition."

ANd work we must....that is part of the promises

Work used to be a 4 letter word to me that I abhorred...but I've found I only really work for what I want and I wan to be sober more than anything! Those promises will come true IF you WORK! Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly! I believe the paragraph on the promises only touches on what has come to me as a result of being sober! For that I am truly grateful!

Thanks for this post GJM!!
A

Third Step Promise: BB Pg 63

When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His worlk well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfullly, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.