“The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead. Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept he home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says that sobriety is enough.” AA p.82

For years I thought abstinence was enough. In retrospect, I see that my attitude was arrogant, cocky and selfish. If I’m honest, with the exception of my first time through the steps, I don’t think I began working the program in earnest until I was 20 years sober. That was a lot of unnecessary pain I put myself and others through. However, I choose to believe I did my best at that time – I simply wasn’t ready or willing.

Thank God I do the WHOLE deal today – sobriety is definitely not enough for me. I want all the growth I can get because I desire to live to my FULL potential. Four days left on the beautiful island of Maui and ILML!

– JamesQ