Daily Reflections reading
September 25th
First Things First
Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job — wife or no wife — we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98
Before coming to A.A., I always had excuses for taking a drink: “She said . . . , ” “He said . . . ,” “I got fired yesterday,” “I got a great job today.” No area of my life could be good if I drank again. In sobriety my life gets better each day. I must always remember not to drink, to trust God, and to stay active in A.A. Am I putting anything before my sobriety, God, and A.A. today?
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My thoughts on September 25th Reading
For me easy does it means, I take first things first, one at
a time, first thing for me was putting down the drink then, I started to go to
meetings, my mind was racing with a thousand questions I wanted answers to
right now
I needed to know everything about the program, that was the
first time I ever heard first things first,
I started to look at all the slogans we had on the walls,
easy does, it remember when, learn to listen, then listen to learn, that one
hit me hard never was a good listener
They said start with looking at your life, how you can
change don't start looking at everyone around you, its not up to you to change
them, letting go of my past sure was a very hard thing to do. I had so much
anger, for all the crap I thought people did to me
I did not deserve to be treated that way, I was never going
to forgive anyone, or forget what they did to poor little ME, I did not want to
stop drinking I just was afraid that if I drank I would want to take my life,
so out of fear I stopped drinking
Not for a moment did I think I needed to change myself, just
thought that if I stopped for a while my wife would take me back, we would be
happy, what a joke that was, she had moved on with her life free from the likes
of me and my attitudes
Ego deflation at its very best I had to let go of her and it
was hard to do alone, my sponsor pointed out how self-centered I was, he said I
had better take a good look at myself, he asked me what part I had in all the
things I thought people did to me when I was drunk
What about all the crap you left them with, when you were so
drunk you could not remember, right now you have the chance to make right all
the wrongs you have done to them, you can still hang on to your selfish
self-centered way or you can start to work on yourself
If you want me to be your sponsor think of this as a, you
damn well better change, or find yourself another sponsor, because I don't have
time for self-pity from anyone AA is a program of change turning your life over
to a power greater and wiser than yourself
I can help you with that, but you need to accept change and
you need to accept your HP, I can never forget that day, the moment of truth
for me, I had to look at myself and change what was wrong with me and my
attitude,
Might not have liked
that man but he sure did save my life, I thank God every day for this great
awakening to the truth about me, I have had many firsts in the fellowship and
seem to grow with each of them, becoming closer to God
Hard lesson to learn there turning thing over to Him and how
I must continue to change every day trying to let go and let God be in charge,
because today God does come first, my sobriety comes second, Sandy and family
third with out me trusting in God’s will to keep me sober
I would lose everything, family, friends, everyone else in
my life, like I did in my past, only to hide in a bottle once again, first
things first are nothing but a list of things needed to be done, I found out
how to make the list so I can get them done one at a time been doing it for 35+
years now it still works
God bless you Al M
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