Fellowship and Commitment. Any person who has been following the twelve traditions of AA has these two principles as a part of their AA dictionary. Alcohol makes you lose pieces of yourself. You find yourself doing things you had never imagined doing. You may start ignoring work; you may have difficulty concentrating on other bits of your life. The twelve steps of AA are how you pick up these pieces of yourself and form a better you.
Alcohol often presents as a coping mechanism for those who drink. It ignites pleasure and relaxation in your body, even though it is for a few hours. Despite the variety of exterior stimuli that make alcohol appealing, it is also your spirit that needs reform. To become your best self, it is helpful to acknowledge and follow the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. These steps are not something to remember and immediately forget in your AA meeting room; these are to be remembered, practiced, and shared when you step out of the room as well.
- Start being honest with people around you. In AA meetings, you imbibe the principle of honesty in your life. You acknowledge the words and actions which could have hurt those around you, and you begin to apologize. An apology goes a long way! Apart from this, AA meetings also provide you with a sobriety calculator. Obviously, it gives your sobriety period a number to make you feel encouraged. Such means of encouragement motivate you to stay honest with yourself and those around you.
If you want to begin your recovery, you can go through the AA Meeting Directory. - Recovery is more than quitting alcohol. Yes, maintaining sobriety is the reason why you have joined the AA meeting. A few weeks into it, you will start realizing the positive influence it is having in your life outside of AA meetings. This is a great sign! Since you learn about life and spirituality in the meetings, your intelligence starts to reflect in other areas of your life as well. If you don’t see this happening to you, you can always discuss it in your local AA meeting.
- Find your own interpretation of the 12 steps of AA! Since the traditions are of an abstract nature, you can always apply them subjectively to your experiences. Before making any changes in your life, ask yourself why you are doing it and how the twelve traditions of AA can be applied to it.
- Explore. Meditate, pray, or get connected with nature. An understanding of spirituality is an effective way of exploring yourself and the love in your life. These methods tune you out of alcoholic tendencies and add more goodness to your life. These practices help you find a higher power and come to the realization that life can be different.
You need a thorough understanding of the twelve steps of AA to apply them in other zones of your life. With time and community, these ideas can transform into reality. To know more, check out the AA Meeting Locator!
For more information regarding the 12 steps and traditions of AA visit: https://www.aa-meetings.com/12-traditions-of-alcoholics-anonymous
