"I give it away to keep it - recovery." BRB p. 513

When we come to ACA, we are hurting. We find others like ourselves. Because we learn to trust these people, we gradually allow ourselves to open up and share our deepest secrets.

But in some cases, people we've grown close to leave, and we feel abandoned, just as in our childhoods. We wonder if we should go, too. Maybe we've done all we can and should move on; maybe this ACA program isn't the answer to everything; maybe we aren't having the big "aha" moments anymore.

So why should we stay when others might not? Because this abandonment we feel is different; we are using new tools that help us work through these feelings. Everyone doesn't have the same path, and we can feel sad when people leave and hope they find what works for them. But for us, ACA is the healthy choice. We decide to stay, first for ourselves and then for others. We give back what we've gotten to the next person who comes through the door. These are our peers. We may not all look and act alike, but it's amazing the help we can give one another. By being there for others in recovery, we learn more about ourselves.

On this day I will rededicate myself to my recovery in ACA. I know this is where I belong.