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What is Your Spiritual Condition?

© Geraldine Wagner

Recovery is contingent upon our daily spiritual condition, the A.A. Big Book tells us. What are some signs that we need to focus on our spirituality? When something doesn't feel right. When we've been groping for answers. When we want things to change. When we feel badly about the way we treat other people. When we are tired of fighting alone. When things are getting worse, not better. When we sense we are losing control.

We know we're ready for recovery when we tackle our "spiritual malady." Then we begin to straighten out mentally and physically. How do we know when we're ready for recovery? There are many obstacles to pursuing and maintaining recovery. Maybe the pain isn't great enough yet! Maybe we're afraid of the unknown. What will recovery be like? What will I be like as a recovering person...will there be anything left of "me?" Perhaps we know that there is someone in our life who makes it "cushy" for us to continue our addictive behavior. They are called "enablers." They do things for us that we should be doing for ourselves. They put up with our lies, inconsistencies, our attempts to control. We need to honestly move away from those people and stand up for ourselves!

Spirituality doesn't mean just praying for a miracle. It means taking action. For ourselves. There is no quick fix to addiction to alcohol or to an alcoholic. As the saying goes, if it takes 40 years to walk into the forest, it will take as long to walk out of it. No one ever graduates from recovery programs. It's an ongoing process that takes a life time. Sound daunting? When you get on the path to recovery, you'll discover that you don't WANT to get off..ever! Living life one day at a time, following the Twelve Steps as a blueprint for life becomes an integral part of our lives.

To do otherwise to is return to despair, to the hopelessness of addiction.

We may fear failure, we may fear rejection, we may fear change. We may even fear insanity.

For a time, we may force within ourselves a false sense of happiness. We minimalize our addiction. "Well, at least I don't...(fill in the blank with your own denial)!"

But we know we're ready for recovery when we're ready for change. When we admit that our lives are out of control. That we're in terrible pain and we are uncomfortable in our own skins.

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