Meeting vs Big Book Study

Almost every Tuesday evening I get together with a group of women and read from the book "Alcoholics Anonymous". We read a small portion of a chapter and then discuss what it means to each of us. Alcoholics Anonymous is known as a great recovery program for alcoholics but it is a great program to live by for anyone. The guy in yesterday's post, for example. Even though most of us are in the recovery program ETA, we find AA literature to be very helpful in our journeys of recovery from boozing and using.

One of the gals, Barbie, asked how our group, a Big Book study, was different than an AA or ETA meeting. None of us could explain it, but we all felt strongly there was a difference. It got me to thinking about it. (There should be air raid sirens going off. People tend to get very nervous when I start thinking.)

At a recovery book study, we gather information on recovery. We gain knowledge; synthetic knowledge as stated in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" in the chapter "The Doctor's Opinion".

Self knowledge, what we learn about ourselves, or synthetic knowledge, that which is obtained by literature, etc. about the disease of alcoholism (or addiction), is not enough to keep one clean and sober. While having knowledge about ourselves and our disease is necessary, that is only part of the recovery process.

ETA is a program of action, not of thinking. It is a program of doing, not of knowing. I thought I should not booze and use long before I got clean and sober. I knew I should stop, too. That was all fine and dandy, except I didn't know how to quit. All the knowledge and thinking about addiction didn't help me one iota.

True recovery takes action on our part and that is where meetings fit into the recovery process. Meetings are where I learn how to apply the information I gather. It is by hearing how those who got clean and sober before me put this knowledge into practice that gives me examples of practical application in my own recovery. The 'action' and the 'doing' parts of recovery are learned here.

At meetings people tell how they handle problems and solutions to the events life presents to us all. They tell of successes and of failures. They tell how they found their own Higher Power and make suggestions on how the newcomer can find his own Higher Power.

Knowledge and action are both necessary for me to stay clean and sober, even after several years in recovery. I continue to learn about the disease of addiction and the actions necessary to maintain sobriety. I won't ever be cured of my disease, so I will stay in contact with the old HP, study recovery literature and go to meetings for as long as I want to keep being clean and sober.

I will graduate from ETA the day I die. If I quit learning and applying before that day, I'll be a drop-out and that kind of sounds like a loser. I'm not a loser. I'm a quitter, and very grateful I'm able to call myself one.

Have a good and sober day.