Follow the instructions… PRECISELY.
“We of Alcoholics Anonymous are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.” Excerpt from the Foreword to the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Alcoholics Anonymous is an instruction manual written by the founders. The result of the instructions, if precisely followed, would culminate in lasting sobriety for the suffering alcoholic. They didn’t write, “We just kind of threw together some ideas on what we did.” They used specific language, describing precise instructions that detailed a definite outcome.
Let’s say a person decided to bake a cake. He went to the grocery store and purchased a Betty Crocker cake mix. The box lists a set of instructions; empty contents into bowl, add ingredients, stir, place in oven at a precise temperature and bake for 30 minutes. If these instructions are followed precisely he produces a tasty cake. Any deviation from the recipe will result in an undesired outcome, an inedible mound of flour.
Many people come to AA. They attend meetings every day. They take commitments. They choose a sponsor. They relapse. They die. What happened? They followed the AA program!
NO, they didn’t. The AA program is outlined in the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Too many of us confuse the whistles and bells (meetings and commitments) with the meat of the program (the 12 steps as presented in the Big Book) and end up a mess like the cake described above instead of a recovered member of the fellowship.
So take the course of action and PRECISELY follow the instructions in the Big Book as the founders intended. And welcome to an amazing life beyond your wildest dreams!