From my exp. & what I was taught if I didn't reach out to the spiritual aspect I knew recovery wound not work.
Grateful for my personal HP in my life.

People who come into AA with a spiritual center already in place will get through much quicker as it is a spiritual program. Those who do not, like me, struggle terribly with it. That's why so many run from AA. It's basically a club, you can go to meetings just with the desire to quit drinking, but can you be a member of the fellowship without sprituality?

My mind is wide open. I know that I am spiritual in essence, in the core of my being, but I can't identify what it means to me. Im reaching out, reaching like a man who just fell off a cliff and desperately hopes for a limb or something to grab onto before crashing to the bottom.

Question. While examining my own beliefs, alcoholics and alcoholism, the big book and spirituality, I started to think, what is so special about this book? It's the biggest thing since the bible. Do you think the big book is divine? Im kinda leaning that way.

It's all about the spiritual. Ex-drunk club is nice and all, but that ain't gonna cut it; not for me.

I consider myself so very lucky to have found the spiritual side of my life, I know deep down that it was this that got me through the first months of recovery. Once I understood that AA was not connected to the church I took an interest, and was so fortunate to have found my HP so quickly.

Spirituality is a battle for many - diseased or non diseased people - it's just a matter of peace that you seek from inside.

When the life you control crumbles all around - no matter the reason you reach out to help, even help from the unknown or things you can't understand or prove.

I have been a christian all my but stumbled with spirituality - i was always wanting proof, needed to be shown, and questioned it all to pieces - when i stepped into spirituality and found acceptance and faith - just believing - it all fell into place -

finding a spiritual peace can help your life in so many ways - not just alcohol recovery -

Peace!

I didn't want to live like I was. It was easy to put the resistance aside because I didn't want to be like that anymore. I didn't know what I was reaching out for at first. I just knew I needed help and was willing to try anything.

It was fear in all its manifestations that had to be overcome for me in early recovery, no mean feat! It meant letting go of most of what I used to believe and be open to something entirely different.

I remember my first attempts at embracing spirituality. It made me understand the expression "a leap of faith."

My sponsor said "Okay, you are in the water but your knuckles are white from gripping the side of the pool! Let go and God will keep you afloat and teach you how to swim."

I knew that my recovery depended on a Power greater than myself. I had placed myself beyond human aid.

Nice one, Cabledude. Fits with my experience of treatment and AA exactly - I was really glad of the lady in the invisible boat when she turned up!

This was me exactly, a nasty, vicious Atheist who would cut down anybody;s spirituality or religion during my drinking - and I have a sharp toungue. But the idea of a Higher Power of my own understanding was key for me. Having had religion shoved down my throat my whole life, this was a totally different approach and enabled me to slip into AA when I may have turned tail if I felt a certain variety of God was going to be pushed onto me. My spiritual journey since then has been varied, but I am ON a spiritual journey and that's enough for me.

Would have to parrot Carebear's comments.

Oh dear when I read CD's story this first thing I thought of the captains comment about the lady in the invisible boat was "crap we're all going to die".

I will say this much...I am open, looking and seeing. Yesterday's meeting was about spirituality and then there is this post and another by Ramblin all being presented to me at the very time I need it. Coincidence? Maybe, but they seem to be piling pretty high.

Is it enough to just believe there is something divine? I believe in spirit, it's the source of it that Im stuck on. See, I'm leaning on the human spirit as the core.

Jan, I don't think its coincidence it all about the spiritual realm, I know exactly what your saying been there done that. When in early recovery it just amazed me. Keep growing my friend your doing well.

bump

And another CB... chk chk bmp

i found it and sometime do find it hard to be open minded but i do believe i need a relationship or connection with a higher power in my life, for me its about doing things differently because my desicions lead me to self destruct. but i am constantly having to challenge old ideas and beliefs and it is so easy to slip back into them. when things go wrong i can blame god blame others and hate rather than love.