Old 06-07-2016, 02:14 PM
  # 4 (permalink)  
Centered3
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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Originally Posted by NickiJay View Post
I left my AA meeting a bit early today because I heard a share and became angry with God. The man sharing said that he drank to excess frequently and hurt his family many times because of it. He said that one day he was so distressed by something he had done, he decided to get on his knees and pray to God that the obsession for alcohol would be removed. The man has been sober ever since, and it has been a few decades since he said that prayer.
My sponsor used to tell me that some folks are "struck sober". It sounds like this was this man's experience.

I am happy that God helped this man. I truly am. Here’s my problem: I have begged God for help, just the way this man did. I have prayed to God earnestly and tearfully for him to remove my obsession.
I once heard a recovered alcoholic share in a meeting that he used to beg God for help to not drink all the time, but he'd still drink. Then he realized that he had to do the recovery work, and then God would help him. The big book calls this "Faith without works is dead." We cannot just ask God to do stuff for us. We have to do our part in the deal. (Please know my tone is meant to be kind and helpful here, not admonishing in any way.)

Unfortunately, even though I attend AA on a regular basis (and have been for a while), I relapsed after some months and have not yet been able to recover my footing. I’m still attending meetings and won’t stop, but today I became frustrated. Why does God decide to help some of us instantly and not others? Why are my prayers, said with the utmost sincerity, either ignored or discarded? I don’t mean to complain—I’m hopeful that I can achieve sustained sobriety, it’s just that I’m a bit hurt. Thanks for reading this, and I wish you all the best.
Good for you for attending AA meetings! :-) But meetings don't keep us sober. Meetings are to carry the message of the spiritual principles that got us and keep us sober. May I ask where you are with the step work? Do you have a sponsor? Do you have a spiritual relationship with God? Have you done a thorough written inventory and amends? That's what I did to get and stay sober.

God helps those who ask, but we have to do the work for Him to restore the sanity of our alcoholic minds. That's just the way sobriety works. Otherwise, it's just abstinence, which doesn't keep most people sober for the long term.

God loves you. And he wants you to be well, happy, joyous, and free. I'm sure He's very happy that you are seeking Him and asking Him to help you. But, you have to do His will, and that means work a recovery program so that He can remove the problem of alcoholism.

I hope this helps. Please don't be hurt by or angry with God. He does not sit up there in the heavens saying "I think I'll let so and so be sober, but not let so and so be sober." It's not like that. He doesn't punish us. True there are many things we can never understand why they're part of God's plan, by my sponsor told me that humans cannot understand God's plan. She also told me that some things are human's doing his/her free will vs. following God's will.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about what I wrote, ok?
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