The topic of spirituality within the AA Program came up just before the holidays at a Sunday morning Big Book meeting that I co-chair.
We were reading “A Drunk Like You,” from pages 398–406 in the Fourth Edition.
That story, written by a Jewish chief product researcher in a large corporation, mentioned “spiritual awakenings,” a Higher Power and the author’s struggle with saying the Lord’s Prayer (which he considered a Christian prayer) at the close of meetings.
His sponsor told him to quietly pray something else that he liked because, “Your Higher Power, whatever you call it, is helping you, and you need to say thank you.”
I could see heads nodding in agreement with the next part of the story, “I finally began to separate the religious aspects of my life from A.A.’s spiritual program. [It’s] about my personal contact with my personal Higher Power, as I understand Him.”
We broke up into smaller discussion groups after my lead, and the individuals within the group that I was in identified with much of the author’s story, my lead, and others’ comments.
I was reminded again how we can be from many different backgrounds, yet find common ground in the important task of staying sober and working the A.A. Program.
While sobriety is such a precious gift to us—in fact, it is life or death—the Second Step and Second Tradition remind us that this spiritual program offers much more than our sobriety.
The Second Step tells us that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. I know that I didn’t like that word when I heard it early in sobriety. “I’m not insane,” I thought.
It took a while, including thorough Fourth and Fifth Steps, before I learned just how insane my thinking and actions had been.
It helped when I heard that one definition of insane living is to do the same thing again and again, while expecting different results. That was my story with trying to control alcohol and other drugs!
The Second Tradition shows us that the true authority that we need to submit to is a Higher Power, whom I see today as the loving God mentioned in the tradition. I see how my Higher Power works for the good of A.A. in group discussions and the group conscience.
While I respect and try to work well with other recovering people who lead meetings and various committees around A.A., Tradition Two reminds me that they are not “the boss of me.” God (my Higher Power) is.
The diversity of people from so many different faith backgrounds—of course, including many who do not believe in God—can be such a blessing if we are tolerant of each other. And through working the A.A. Program, I see how I have been blessed so much more than with the great gift of sobriety.
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