Introduction
For the first nine Steps to be effective, they should be worked as part of a daily programme.
The core of the daily programme is set out on pages 84 to 88 of the Big Book. Read these pages until their contents become second nature and try to apply the ideas and practices daily.
In brief, this means following principles, good orderly direction, and inspiration and intuitive thought from the Higher Power, rather than blindly obeying drives, impulses, and intrusive thoughts.
What is set out below is ideal for beginners in the spiritual life. With time, experience, and the development of good routines, much less input and guidance from others will be necessary. We move from heavy guidance from others towards reliance on ourselves (our Higher Selves) and the Higher Power, consulting others only where necessary.
Nightly review: page 86 (top)
- Do the nightly review in the early evening and share with two recovery friends
- Some people do the review in the morning: that's OK, too
- Proceed on the basis that, if you're disturbed, there's something amiss within you
- Your job is to find out where your beliefs, thinking, and behaviour are unhelpful ...
- ... and to correct them
- Ask the Higher Power for corrective measures (which could come as intuitive thoughts)
- Run your corrective measures past your recovery friends
- Seek input on where you might be off track or have missed something
- Write down the corrective measures and implement them
In the morning: pages 86 (bottom) to 88
- Ask the Higher Power to direct your thinking
- Follow all the other instructions on these two pages or so
- Plan the day with the Higher Power
- Write out the plan
- The plan should focus on:
- Looking after the basics to keep the show on the road
- Taking constructive actions
- Decorating your life with pleasant things
- Run the plan through with someone and be open to suggestions
- On working days:
- Schedule at least one hour of stepwork on Steps One through Nine before work
- Try to do more if other obligations permit
- On non-working days:
- Schedule at least two hours of stepwork on Steps One through Nine
During the day: pages 84 to 85 and 87 to 88
- Apply the Step Ten instructions from the middle of page 84 and the middle of page 85 throughout the day:
- 'Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.'
- 'Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee—Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.'
- Apply the 'agitated or doubtful' tools throughout the day from the bottom of page 87 when you are ... agitated or doubtful (upset in any way or unsure what to do in any way)
- 'As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done."'
- Trust that you'll be OK in your life as a whole if you just keep doing the next indicated action
- Stick to the plan
- If you have any 'good ideas' about changing your plan (especially when upset): call someone
- If it's really a good idea, they'll certainly agree promptly
- If it's not a good idea, well, lucky you called!
Troubleshooting
- If resentment arises (see pages 64 to 67)
- Drop the condemnation of the person or situation
- Switch from seeing the object of the resentment as a personal attack to seeing it as a neutral fact
- Identify the demand (if I'm upset, a demand has not been met)
- Drop the demand: it's possible to be OK whatever the circumstances
- If the object of the demand is reasonable (e.g. a peaceful working environment)
- Downgrade to a preference, saying to yourself:
- 'If it's noisy, I can live with that ... nothing is worth losing my serenity over'
- Take reasonable action to secure the object of the demand, e.g.
- Ask the neighbours to turn the music down
- Put in earplugs / put on headphones / don ear defenders
- If you're going to take action that involves or affects others, check it out with someone, especially if you're still emotionally entangled
- Deliberately foster empathy for the person: if they're behaving badly, they're simply being ignorant, stupid, illogical, irrational, careless, selfish or malicious, and I have those same defects, too: they're just like me!
- Extend love using the prayers set out on or suggested by page 67
- 'God, please help me show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend.'
- 'This is a sick person. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.'
- 'God, please help me avoid retaliation or argument.'
- 'God, please show me how to take a kindly and tolerant view of this person.'
- Footnote: not everyone I resent is sick. If they're not sick, omit the phrase 'This is a sick person'.
- Then stop thinking about the situation and get on with the day
- If the situation crops back up mentally, bless it and move on
- If fear arises:
- Follow the instructions on page 68
- Ask God to remove the fear
- Ask God how to be (e.g. brave, cheerful, kind)
- Ask God how to look at the situation
- Ask God what to do
- Get on with it
- If you don't know what to do
- Call someone sensible and trustworthy
- Follow what they suggest
Other suggestions
- Go to at least one meeting a day
- Call your sponsor
- Call another 'old-timer' (someone very experienced with the programme)
- Call someone who is newer in recovery than you
- Call a couple of recovery friends
- Read some spiritual literature
- Listen to an AA speaker
- Try not to think about yourself
- Instead, focus on staying cheerful, useful, and kind
- Enjoy yourself: you're on God's amusement park planet
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