Step 12 'Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.'

For me, my first spiritual awakening came at step 1 where I felt like a baby about to learn all over again. It was the most amazing start to my journey.

Have you read the back of the book...there is a section 'II Spiritual Experience' and to me it makes sense (so much so I had that very reading read at a chair I did last Friday).

Yep, freedom is a great word for me...freedom from self :) As long as I maintain a spiritual path.

I think a spiritual awakening is an awareness, like an "Ah ha!" moment where it seems like we shake off the dust and wonder how we drifted so far and feel focused once again. I also think we can have many in a lifetime for many reasons in all areas of our life.

The best spiritual awakening I had was when we were building our house in 97 and I quit drinking (because of a shameful event on my part) and later when the temptation got fierce, I felt God there with me wanting to carry me thru it. Seriously. I felt a warmth in my heart that felt so good - almost like a little rush of adrenaline in my body from the excitement of my commitment to stay sober. I think at that moment, I felt the power of God and understood the realness of the strength we can gather from His spirit to help us thru really hard things or even simple hard things or just enjoying an extra dose of joy. He made that fierce temptation basically disappear and things got easier.

Of course, as Paul says in the bible (wrote most of NT) no matter what good we want to do, evil is always right there with us and sure enough it's true. Having that spiritual mindset, especially in the battlefield of the mind where spiritual warfare happens, being awake (not asleep) and aware (as you say) that we can tap into that power can sustain us, redeem us, cure us of backsliding (so says the bible) and guide us.

Being awake is better than being asleep and that's really where we are when we put poison in our bodies. We were created to be SO MUCH more than spiritually dead because we are SO loved.

I didn't do any of the AA steps per se, but when I found the AA book at a garage sale, it was uncanny that my personal process of recovery was indeed a 12 step dealie. I was doing them without really doing them. I believe those precepts of God are burned in our hearts and after the children have wandered, we return and come back awake again and again. We fall prey to evil (because it's disguised so well), so being spiritually awake realizing the war waged against us and the weapons used can help us defeat the enemy's attempts to discourage, defeat, depress and diminish us.

I do believe we need to stay in the vine being mindful of our spiritual side to be suceesful in the long-term. God understands bumps, struggles and temptation, but in the end, evil in the universe is defeated so we can have victory NOW.

Hi Tara, I will share with you my own experience and understanding, if you like. Similar to you, I had a few "glimpses" of a spiritual connection before - and during - my journey through the Steps. At times I prayed desperately to "whatever" for some relief and sometimes I felt I got it - fleetingly.

I don't think it is an easy matter to grasp "in a nutshell" but it reveals itself on the journey through the Steps as things fall into place - I had to experience the journey, as set out precisely in the book, to come to know what this was.

My real spiritual awakening happened for me personally about half way through Step 9. When it happens there can be no doubt. Nothing is different on the outside but everything is different on the inside.

There is a section of the Big Book that covers Ebby T's year in Switzerland as a patient of Dr Carl Jung. You can find it on pp 26-28. I will paraphrase some of it here:

This man, Ebby T, was extremely wealthy and felt he was doing well under Dr Jung's care, he was really beginning to understand all he needed to know, he thought, about himself and his problem with alcohol.

However, on his return home, he was soon drunk again and baffled at how could he have relapsed knowing what he knew?

He returned to Switzerland and begged Dr Jung to give him an honest and direct assessment of his chance of recovery. Dr Jung had some bad news for him. When asked if there was any exception to the fateful outcome Dr Jung said, as quoted now directly from the BB:

"Here and there, once in a while, alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences. To me these occurrences are phenomena. They appear to be in the nature of huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them. In fact, I have been trying to produce some such emotional rearrangement within you."

Ebby T, on his return to the USA, then got involved in a spiritual quest and went on to experience his own spiritual awakening.

He was an old friend of Bill W and visited Bill W who was, at that time, in the alcoholic pit before the birth of AA. He was effectively Bill W's sponsor and the rest happened from there.

I know for a fact that my desire to drink and fear of drinking went without any conscious effort on my part as I went through the journey.

Today, I consistently seek to improve my spiritual life and get out of "self" as much as possible, particularly in working with other alcoholics but there is so much more too.

I have no doubt that without these spiritual tools I have been given I would never have been able to stop on my own power - that power was extremely diminished by the time I started on the 12 Step programme. Alcoholism is most definitey progressive and I consider myself to have had a very fortuitous escape.

What I have to do today and every day is so little in return for what I have been given. This is the "fourth dimension of existence" mentioned on p.25.

I would have to say Yes!! to all questions ...Bill W. borrowed alot of his buzz words from sources and books concerning conversion In one form or another and of course experience, he had witnessed first hand himself or the pioneers who began this fellowship had experienced.
If you google term in your title you will see.

I personally like this definition: To become a new ,,The old life is ... Old things have disappeared, and-look!-all things have become new! ...
Yes I did what was asked of me after getting sober and No a drink is not a issue ,unless of course , I stop participating or backslide into a place which seems insurmountable and I say fuck it again :)
Someone else I'm sure will explain this in more detail in a less or more "Absolute " I stay away from being to literal about things of a spiritual nature ,as I'm still quite the student:) But the steps can take you beyond your wildest dreams and other investigative measures in to meditation and philosophies can enhance this experience. Awakening are on - going thing, check out the movie with Robin Williams and Robert Deniro "Awakening". That's all I have to say about that, Other than lol " Alcoholism is a subtle foe "
Billy

Not just an AA term, T, although I like the way it is described in Appendix II of the BB. "...personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism..." I like the way it is explained throughout those few pages.

I needed to change the way I thought and behaved which I was able to do through the 12 Steps.

I did have that spiritual experience when I surrendered and asked God and a fellow AA for help. The desire to drink was lifted right away after 9 years of not being able to put it down. Go figure. I'm not here of my own doing. That much I am sure of.

Reach Appendix II. You'll like it. :-)

"You know you are a mystic when you wake up one day and ask, am I crazy or are they?"

~ Anthony de Mello

lol

For me, and as it says in the BB, mine was of an educational variety...and it was all abotu CHANGE...there was a lady at a meeting who pointed out that the word "Change" was used like 10 times, or something like that, but a lot...so I really feel like for me it was about change...changing the way I thought, being open minded and willing, and doing different things....it was deffinatly not all at once for me, and I can not say when it happened...but I do feel different and I think a little different too...(not that my thinking is always sane, just more so than before)...and for the most part I do not crave a drink...I think about it but it passes pretty fast...And yeah, it was definatlly because of the steps, and working on a relationship with my high power.

BTW, good to hear from you on here...you seem to be doing really good now :)

When I got sober, I had already had a spiritual awakening when I felt the presence of Jesus - I became a Christian. I was called to preach and when I was commissioned it was a wonderful spiritual experience.

However none of this was able to get or keep me sober. Why? Well, for me the steps help us to clear out the rubbish in our lives, gets us to accept responsibility for our lives, Make amends where they are due. That process allows a spiritual awakening to happen - generally around the time we complete our Step 9.

In order to remain sober, we must continue to live by spiritual principles and work with others. The Step 10 promises on page 85 show us what our lives will be about when the awakening has occured.

Those promises have come true for me and still blow my mind. You see, I had always been taught that we never recover, we are all ever recovering. When it was pointed out to me that the Big Book never says that we never recover it always says that we do and the proof is in those promises, I got renwed hope - I learned that I can recover and I can describe myself as 'an alcoholic who has recovered' - page 90 Big Book.

The steps are the path towards an awakening - do them to the best of your ability and you will have that experience/awakening for yourself.

I have many spiritual experiences these days, they come because my spirit is awake and ready to serve.

Thanks all.

I think I cracked open the door to possibility when I was in so much emotional pain during my last detox. My hope to stay sober was gone except for a tiny light that I saw when I committed to going inpatient. I don't think I could have done it without treatment - it allowed my complete surrender without distractions to tug at me.

While at treatment, I finally said to my HP "I don't know what to do - tell me" and I got a very clear answer. It wasn't so much about the drinking as it was about the struggles in my life and turning my will to control over to my HP. That was definitely a spiritual experience for me.

All that said, I am having trouble motivating myself to do the steps. I am making progress in my life and feeling pretty good. I have not had any major cravings or desire to drink in a couple months, just some dismissible thoughts here and there. I am working on following what I believe to be God's will and working on this personality change - which hasn't been too difficult honestly. I am not afraid of the steps - just don't feel like formally doing them. I hang out with recovering addicts/alcoholics all the time and talk about the solution all the time and work the principles of the program in my life. I live my recovery. I do mediate and pray and read recovery also. I have a sponsor who lives the program - I see or talk to her every day and talk program. I feel like I am having a spiritual experience in the progress I am making and in the awareness that I have.

I guess I am just curious what other people thought about spiritual awakening. I actually know the AA description - will read that appendix again. I was really interested in non-aa'ers too. Just wanted to understand what others experienced.

Anna

serenity - I love the step 9 promises. Funny thing is, I KNOW these promises are coming true for me. I am working on myself and opening myself up to follow the guidance of my HP. I no longer have a need to try to control everything. My worries are almost null most days.

Maybe I am still naive. Imprinted in my mind is "more will be revealed" so I am aware I have growth to do beyond the obvious to me. But I have to be honest - right now I don't have so many resentments or amends. I have some fears that I address on a daily basis. I self examine and ask for help where I have shortcomings.

Maybe during the course of the last 2 years trying to stay sober I have cleaned up a lot of my messes. I was hatefully resentful when I started this journey but all that angst is gone - it happened slowly during periods of sobriety. Of course I still get angry - but nothing like before. I am just a different person today than I was before - and it didn't happen during this last 4 mos. It happened slowly during the entire time I have struggled.

For the record, I have not "formally" gone beyond step 3. But like I said I live all the principles daily.

Not sure what I am looking for here. Maybe I just needed some feedback.

Thanks again.

I've been asking people what "spiritual" means for years (not involving alcoholics but as a general term), and it's a different set of ideas for each person, and sometimes you have to be inside their head to see how the ideas are related to each other.

You to your sponsor about the program all you like Anna but it will not keep you sober. The program is a program of action. Of course, you are free not to do the steps if you don't want to but the problem is that if you go back out there - you may not make it back. I've seen it happen!

Hey Maryland.... I will tell you I had some pretty incredible "spiritual experiences" playing soccer. Yes, for real. You only "get it" if you've played. ;) ..or maybe that is just a super high. All I know is nothing compared to that feeling of scoring a winning goal EVER.

...sorry got distracted by your name.

Serenity... what "action" do you imagine I am not taking?

Not trying to be facetious. I live by the principles of the program. I ACT every day in accordance with what I believe to be God's will. When in doubt, I pray and I wait. I make mistakes, sure, and I fix them asap. I make amends. I examine my fears and resentments to see my part. I live and behave well.

Trust me, I am not feeling like being arrogant. I ask all this with humility. I wonder if by not taking the steps formally, I am setting myself up. Maybe you are right. I guess I wanted to hear reminders - I dunno. It doesn't feel like complacence or laziness - it feels like I am living my life as I am supposed to. It feels as though I am having this change in personality and I am working to sustain it.