There are some key phrases in 12 Step programs that have become very important to me. Considering how skeptical I was when I first started attending meetings, it's a bit remarkable how much I lean into these simple expressions.
"...progress not perfection; we will come to know peace; the courage to change, and; we will not regret..."
are just a few of the sayings that are recited at each meeting and countless times in an individual's personal program.
I've never been a big fan of mantras, liturgies, or other self-help verbalizations that seem more appropriate for when we're staring at our belly buttons. However, it's hard to argue with the change I've seen in other people, not to mention myself, over the past two-plus years of saying and hearing these pearls of wisdom in the meetings. These are not incantations that conjure up anti-addiction miracles. These are merely tangible and measurable elements of the work we've had to do to stay sober and grow as people.
My guess is that some parts of the program work for some people, and other parts work for other people. It seems it would be more efficient to figure out which ones I need so I wouldn't have to waste time on those that I don't. The problem is, I keep finding nuggets of recovery in the places I least expect them.
I am committed to recovery, not to magic words or other man-made rituals. I need healing in my spirit. For right now (and maybe for the rest of my life), the best source of the paths I need to improve my walk with my Higher Power is found in the 12 Steps and the people who have also learned — and continue to learn — this same truth.
–JR
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