Insights are a blessing. Catching on to how I’ve done my best—however silly that may look now, looking back, preparing myself to complete Step Five—isn’t that a breeze that lifts my kite! If I am honest, really honest, my heart is filled to overflowing with—of all...
Using the Steps

Step Five: “Admitted To A Power…”
Waiting for a sign: It is not necessary to know in advance what will become of what I do today. I show up. I remind myself that I am a person with a life—with goals, with hopes, with questions, and with needs I cannot and do not want to ignore. It is okay to be this...

Habits of Fear and Distrust
In recovery—from any dysfunction that brings me to seek help—do I notice what I have in common with others? What is the thread that runs through all the many issues—substance abuse, codependency, workaholism, gambling, acting out one way or several? What motivates me,...

Nothin’ To It!
An oldtimer in 12-Step recovery who hosted a weekly meeting for seventeen years relates, “A fella asked me, ‘Les, when am I going to get happy in this here program?’ and I said, ‘Nothin’ to it. Just stop doin’ whatever’s making you unhappy. That’ll do the trick.’” The...

I Blossomed Doing My Fifth Step
Working the steps in ACA helped me understand the adaptive behaviors I learned from the dysfunction in my family. I was raised in what looked like a pleasant upstanding home, but the covert atmosphere (no rage or physical abuse) left me wondering why I was not happy...
