The Mechanics of a New Life

[RufusACanal]

Yesterday, I made a decision to restructure some of my personal debt. The best avenue to achieve this is through my automobile; refinancing my car will open up money to back off some debt and provide more financial breathing room each month. I was reminded while speaking to my bank that seldom is anything for free; I was approved for certain monies, but at an interest rate and term that really was seemingly outside reason. I will decide today on the best course and move forward with tha course of action.

This is an example of a simple life situation. This type of dilemma; making a life decision happens more frequently than I usually realize most days and I believe this lack of impending doom is mainly due to a belief in sometime Greater and time away from Alcohol; I am healing. For the Alcoholic in a new life, making life decisions can become most complex and troubling; as a group we have lost or never developed the skills of societal responsibility. We are not used to being responsible like the Average Joes in the world. We have squandered abilities, opportunities and resources due to that unmanageable lifestyle we led. When we came to the crossroads and made a decision to live free, the decision and the action did not precipitate any immediate wave of some miraculous wand of reconstruction over our lives; we had to get to work on every area of your existence. Working the Steps provided the path to change me the Alcoholic; insight was gained, resolution began, reintegration into society was initiated, mistakes mended and not frequently repeated, giving instead of taking commences, fellowship takes precedent over individuality and most importantly, we accept in our being that we are something less than the Creator who we seek daily direction from. This is recovery; this is a new life. Yet where in the books of life does it diagram solutions to living life on life's terms? How do you resolve the personal slight at work, how do you learn to grieve for a lost friend, when do you decide to ask for a promotion or a pay increase? How do you overcome fear of the dark or lack of money or even lack of anything? How do you learn life, this new life on life’s terms? Does it come from a Sponsor, a Home Group? Does it come from God? Does it come from your family and friends if any remain?

By the way, I am not looking for definitive answers; I am simply posing questions that might make you think and that thinking will brew some quality sharing of your ES and H.

If I don’t ask questions, how will I learn?

Something to think about…

[Tazman53]

One of the greater things I have found in AA and as a result of the steps is I no longer make decisions based on fears, I now am able to make decisions based on my experience, the experience of others, the guidance of God and faith that the decision I come to will be the right one. Sometimes the decision I reach may not be the one I like, but if I keep my experience, the experience of others, the guidance of God and faith factored into the equation it will work out according to His will and His will is not to harm me.

[RufusACanal]

.. the Promises do predict that fear will leave.

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

Second Edition of The Big Book