Yesterday was a good day for service in addiction recovery. I reached out to a lot of the guys, shared my thoughts on the question about working the 12 steps of recovery after having gone through them once, and chatted with a few guys directly via text and email.
It felt good and I was happy to do it.
But part of me was a bit nervous about what others would perceive: am I trying to show off? do I think I have everything “figured out?” what are my motives?
I shared these feelings with Becky last night, and she was positive about what I was doing.
As I read “Step into Action” this morning, I feel I got confirmation of what my motives can be and are. This is what one of the founders of AA, Dr. Bob, said about service in recovery:
- Sense of duty
- It is a pleasure
- Because in doing so I am paying my debt to the man who took time to pass it on to me
- Because every time I do it I take out a little more insurance for myself against a possible slip (AA p. 181)
The process of doing service means I reach out to others, do check-in’s, sponsor, have a sponsor, connect with him, and follow his direction. Service, especially on days like yesterday when I was pretty alone and focused on work, helps me stay out of isolation too. By reaching out to others, I feel a sense of usefulness, inspiration and accomplishment as I feel that what I’m sharing is helping others.
I like this comment too:
Generally we begin on the individual level and find that, over time, our peace of mind is increased and our sobriety strengthened by broadening our scope of service. (“Step into Action”, p. 33)
This reminds me of the book idea Beck and I have.
This reminds me of what I told Adam Moore at my first meeting with him – that I want to be more involved, speak, share, and be 110% committed to recovery.
What are the service opportunities that are available in our group?
It talks about a few in the book I’m reading:
Individual Service Opportunities
- Show up at meetings
- Call other members
- Receive calls from other members
- Sponsor
- Be a sponsee
Group Service Opportunities
- Set up chairs
- Serve as a greeter
- Secretary of the group
- Literature person
- Treasurer
- Meeting chair
- Run orientations for newcomers
- Participate in group business meetings held once a month
- Take notes at meetings
- Volunteer to help with an action item that comes up
Finally, I like what one SA member shared about his service in the group:
The more I threw myself into Intergroup work, the less I lusted and the less I fed my resentments. I started becoming more aware and mindful of the principles at the foundation of the SA program: honesty, accountability, hopefulness, trust in God’s care, acceptance, making restitution for harms caused, and being of use to fellow sufferers…Participation in the Intergroup has allowed me to grow in closeness and cooperation with others.
I’m grateful for this study today.
I’m grateful to want to serve and be a part of the group.
I feel I can give more official assignments at the group, keep track of who’s doing what, and then pass the role on to others at a certain time frame.
I look forward to a day in recovery today.
I look forward to reaching out to others and accepting calls/texts.
I’m grateful for recovery and the tools that are available to live in recovery one day, one moment, at a time.
Hasta luego!
Nate
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