DOING GOOD ?

[searcher230002]

hello. Bill C. here, alcoholic. i have been in AA now for a while, & have observed a few things during my tenure, as a recovered alcoholic. we as recovered alcoholics have the gift, & privelage of being of service in a variety of ways to our fellows. a joy indeed to reap the benefits of a selfless act. the downside of becoming "too" immersed in service work, is that while "doing" good, it may prevent one from simply "being" good. doing good, & being good, are not even closely related. "SELF" can drive one to do good deeds for all the wrong self centerd reasons, just as we were while drinking/using. i personally can become so involved in servive, that "I" may lose myself in others that i am helping, & hide myself in far too many activities, that prevent me from having to deal with my own spiritual path in recovery. Being good can certainly initiate good deeds, but Doing good, cannot produce the state of Being good. this thought is certainly not intended in any way to be anti-service---God knows we can use all the help we can get. i guess the message i am trying to get across, is for us to not get so busy in the distractions of groups, meetings, sponsorship, GS, etc., that we are too busy to work our own program(s), & keeping our own selves in fit spiritual condition via Steps 10, 11, & yes, when properly armed with the facts... then Step 12. i have found Step 11 in particular to be a intricate tool that allows for "just being good". through the twice daily ritual of prayer....asking God for the Knowledge of the Higher's Will for me, & to be given the need power to carry it out; then the excersize of "just being" that the process of part 2 of Step 11 affords......that is meditation.......through meditation, we are given the clarity, & the awareness of the Higher's intent for us. it also is a great rejuvinator for body, mind, & spirit. i have to remember the main purpose of the Big Book, as stated on pg 45: "Well, that´s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem." it seems to be a contradiction, that the BB's main purpose is not to get one sober, but to find God, for only the Higher can remove our obsessions for all of the things that block us off from the "Realm of Spirit". Step 11's prayer & meditation helps us to improve not only our knowledge of God, but allows us to establish a "conscious contact" as well.............my "INTENT" today is to try to be of maximum service to my fellows. 1st & formost though, i must be doing God's Will for me, & not just hiding behind my good deeds to gain approval from my peers. thanks for allowing me to think out loud here.......................bc:162:

[rickie bill]

You may want to take a look at the phrase "recovered alcoholics". Sounds dangerous to me !

[sioux]

I appreciate what you have said. For me 6 & 7 are deterimental on a daily basis to figure out what "being good" really is and participating in my life together with a working relationshp with my Creator who forgives me my shortcomings and urges me to do better.



I cannot hide behind a cloak of spirituality to justify my actions. It is too thin...ambigious even. I have to do the work on me, with Creator's help. My intent means nothing; it is my actions the world judges me by. That's fair enough.

I have seen many claim relapse over service work and fellowship. I can be controlling, dominating, selfish and a self-serving know-it-all, the perfect alkie really. Something I do really well. I find the fellowship has had a go at surviving me.

My character defects are part of my disease. They grow worse each year. They are not magically lifted. Everyday I must be aware of my behaviors, and with my Creator's assistance (working relationship required at this point) and do my part to self-correct.

Do I have what others want? That is a good question when gauging the measuring stick of success we aim for.

[searcher230002]

"You may want to take a look at the phrase "recovered alcoholics". Sounds dangerous to me !"

hello rickie.....you may want to take a look at your Big Book if you have one, & open the cover to the title page Alcoholics Anonymous. in between the title, & the AA logo it states:"The Story Of How many Thousands of men And Women Have "Recovered From Alcoholism".....also rickie if you look at the Forward To The First Addition, it states : " To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary."........there are no less than 15 references to "being recovered" in the Big Book, & if you look for "recover" you will find even more.......i appreciate your interest in a post i wrote some time ago, but i am still a "Recovered Alcoholic", (36 yrs) & happy about it.......i am & always will be an alcoholic........bc

[searcher230002]

hello Sioux.......i both enjoyed, & appreciate your post.............bc