RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY"The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear."
Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 145
Other people may be able to act on their character defects without much consequence, but for us, this is a fatal proposition. We don’t have the luxury of being able to hold on to resentments, or to live in fear. Our book tells us (p. 66) that holding resentments is “grave” or “fatal.” It will lead us back to drinking, and to drink “is to die,” either literally or emotionally. We can’t let people live rent free in our head. If we do, they have conquered us, and we certainly wouldn’t want to give them that satisfaction. What we think upon grows, so focusing on our character defects such as frustration and anger, only magnifies those negative perspectives. Our time would be much better served being in gratitude, or going outside of self by being of service to others. Unfortunately, we are all human, so our character defects will continue to surface. Our founder, Bill W., said that the most we could hope for is “patient progress.” Recognizing our character defects and their associated debilitating impacts to our lives is only half the battle. The second half of the crusade is facing them and turning them over to God, and in so doing, we can surely keep them from redlining and creating havoc in our lives.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Calm, thoughtful reflection upon personal relations can deepen our insight. We can go far beyond those things which were superficially wrong with us, to see those flaws which were basic, flaws which sometimes were responsible for the whole pattern of our lives. Thoroughness, we have found, will pay-- and pay handsomely."
12 & 12, p. 80
Nearly every aspect of life is about relationships. It begins with a healthy relationship with yourself. If we don’t like who we are, or we visibly carry our harmful life experiences, our relationships with others will be limited by our negative attitude of ourselves. On the other hand, if we like and accept who we are, and can walk with care and confidence, healthy relationships come naturally. One of the nice by-products of our fellowship is an aura we put out once we have taken all the steps. Because of our new found passion for life, and open caring for others, people are drawn to us. Our positive attitude and spirit becomes contagious. For me, this was most evident in the workplace. I exceeded all my career expectations, and ultimately reached a high level within my profession by nurturing relationships with all those I came in contact. I never went straight to business; I always started with rapport building and genuine care for others. Without question, I know I owe all my successes in life to our fellowship. The key to relationships can be found in the maintenance steps - step 10 (relationship with myself), step 11 (relationship with God), and step 12 (relationship with others).
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY: "…alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences. To me these occurrences are phenomena. They appear to be in the nature of huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them."
Alcoholics Anonymous Big book, pg. 27
Our Book, in the Spiritual Experience appendix, describes a spiritual experience as a personality change sufficient to recover from alcoholism. However, our typical alcoholic mind wants to complicate this definition, and we fall back on waiting for the burning bush or room filled with white light event. If we honestly take the 12 steps, it would be nearly impossible to not have a complete psychic change, and by definition, a spiritual awakening. It is quite remarkable how quickly we change and begin to shed those damaging characteristics that held us back in life. We often don’t see the changes in ourselves, but we regularly see it or hear it from others. It is truly amazing to watch the transformation of so many men and women as they take this spiritual pilgrimage. We see those that come in as walking time bombs of anger develop into calm and caring individuals. We see those with debilitating low self esteem gain the courage and confidence necessary to excel in life. The testimonials of finding that potential buried deep within us are endless. If we keep an open mind and heart, these “life changing occurrences” can all be spiritual experiences, and we get a front row seat to watch these miracles unfold.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY“When I come to the edge of all the light I know, and am about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, FAITH is knowing one of two things will happen … Either there will be something solid to stand on or I will be taught how to fly.”
–Barbara Winter–
Having a deep faith in a Higher Power has made life so much easier to live. But how do we develop essential faith? Sadly, for most of us, our faith is built on the back of difficult situations. They say pain and suffering are an alcoholic’s best friend, because it’s the only thing sharp enough to cut through our pride and ego. So true! For me, building faith required coming out of challenging and uncomfortable situations. As “this too shall pass,” as it always does, I usually had some “aha” moment or lesson learned that bordered on a spiritual experience. As I survived new situations over time, I developed increasing faith. The good news is that meaningful faith is very achievable. The bad news is that it may take time and life challenges to build and develop that deep and profound faith. I’ve always felt that the main difference between a new person and someone with time are sober life experiences. As we live each situation sober, we begin to wholeheartedly believe that no matter what happens, “everything will be alright.” God’s plan for me has always been better than my own, and that love has never abandoned me. I don’t always get what I want, but I certainly get everything I need. I am so thankful the program guided me on a journey toward a profound faith in an all loving and all forgiving God.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, and tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it."
–Groucho Marx–
We have learned in the program that all we really have is today. “One day at a time” is forever burned into our consciousness. We know that we don’t drink one day at a time, but we also only live life one day at a time. Living in today requires a daily surrender that many of us have nurtured over time. There is no one way to make a daily surrender, other than making a commitment to do it. I start my day with a few simple prayers before I even get out of bed, and this uncomplicated practice starts my open and loving dialogue with God. Throughout the day, I lean back on prayer to keep me centered. Prayer is a very personal thing, and each of us is given the opportunity to develop what works best for us. By starting my day with prayer, it reminds me to live in today. Each day belongs to us, and we can choose how we want to live it. There is a beautiful line from a poem posted in the Grapevine in 1979 called “This Day is Mine” that illustrates this beautifully – “This is the day to be free, to cut the bonds of all those tomorrows and all those yesterdays. I would be unwise to waste any part of today in useless guilt or distress about a yesterday, or pointless worry or panic about a tomorrow.” Today, I choose to live in today, and with a quiet mind and peaceful heart, I am able to acknowledge and appreciate each blessing life has to offer.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"While I may be powerless to solve the globe’s problems, I am given all the power I need to make a difference to my community, my family, my job, my friends, and most importantly, to stay sober and help other alcoholics."
Woodinville, Washington, November 2013,
The Scoop, AA Grapevine
As we get sober and begin to help others, our lives become so much better. We restore lost relationships with those that we had harmed or had lost trust. We have the courage to go back to school to finish our degrees or learn a new trade. Our careers begin to excel, and we start acquiring those materialistic things that we think will make us happy. Far too many of us begin to forget where we came from, and we back off on our program. I’ve always appreciated our saying that, never let the life A.A. gave you, get in the way of your A.A. life. The moment we make other things in life a higher priority than staying sober, we are on our way to a slip! I have also been a firm believer that we are all walking examples of this program, and that we should present the best impression possible. We may be the first and only exposure that person will have to A.A. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so we should present a good picture with our tone, demeanor, and loving spirit. For a newcomer, it’s hard to imagine that we could make such a positive impact on our family, job, friends and community, but this transformation has played out in nearly all our lives, as long as we stayed committed to this process as outlined in the Big Book. I am so thankful that the program gives me the courage to be whom I really am and that I am able to become a giver rather than a a taker in life.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY"Today I have a clearer perspective on what my role as a sponsor is and isn’t. It is to stay sober, be available to listen, share my thoughts, pray for others, and let them live their own lives. It is not to ‘fix’ anyone, get them sober, make them happy, demand they conform, or make their decisions."
Berlin, Conn., September 2004, From: “What a Sponsor Is and Is Not,” AA Grapevine
One of the highest honors I have ever achieved in life is to be chosen by someone to be their sponsor. Sponsorship is sacred and should be taken very seriously. I am not sure I would have been able to stay sober without the loving guidance of my sponsor, so I try to make that same level of commitment to all those I help. My first sponsor was kind and loving, and he recognized that an in your face approach was not going to work with me. Had someone barked orders at me in early sobriety, I probably would have punched them out and gone back to drinking. For this exact reason, I try to be as kind, loving and understanding as I can be with all those I work with. Over time, I have recognized that each person responds differently to guidance, and we need to shape our approach to whatever best suits each individual. For the most part, a kind, loving approach works best, which is aligned with our code of love and tolerance. The sponsor I have today tells me what I need to hear, not necessarily what I want to hear, and I greatly appreciate this honesty. Sponsors comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable! The time honored tradition of sponsorship has proven to be an effective and essential tool of recovery for both sponsee and sponsor. The concept of one alcoholic helping another has saved my life, given me countless loving relationships with others, and has provided a surefire path to happiness.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY"It is only when I have experienced enough emotional pain, through failed attempts to fix myself, that I become willing to surrender to God’s will for my life. Surrender is like the calm after the storm. When my will is in line with God’s will for me, there is peace within."
Daily Reflections, p. 77
In my first year of sobriety, I was faced with emotions and reactions that I had suppressed for a long time. When I would share this unwanted emotional upheaval at meetings, the old timers would just smile and say, “You’re right on track.” Having very few tools of recovery, I would try to self-will my way out of emotional challenges, which in retrospect, was like pouring gasoline on the fire. I would hang onto any thread of solace, like hearing, “You’re not having an emotional breakdown. You’re having an emotional breakthrough!” Thank God for the 30-60-90-day, 6 and 9 month chips, which always seemed to coincide with some emotional drama that surfaced at the time. It’s amazing how motivating those little chips can be, and that they always seem to come up at just the right time. Don’t leave one second before the miracle! As we gain time and sober life experiences, we see how debilitating our fixation on “self” wreaks havoc on our peace and serenity. We see how self is truly the root of all our troubles, and that a more caring, kind or understanding action (God’s will) would have produced a much better outcome. We need to experience these difficult life lessons over and over, in order to get to a place of full surrender. Once we let God’s will become our prevailing consciousness, life just becomes so much easier to live. The circumstances might be exactly the same, but our new attitude and perspective allows us to navigate through these emotional minefields with ease. I am grateful for all the challenges I faced in life, for without them, I would not have the faith in God that guides me today.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Today, the two most important things in recovery for me are willingness and action … Today, I have a smile that I can offer other alcoholics."
Raleigh, N.C., July 2006, From: “A Smile to Offer”
All too often, we pay lip service to “willingness” and “action.” We hear it at every meeting, but there always seem to be only a handful of people that actually put themselves out to be of service. For me, recovery only began when I truly became willing to be open to new ideas and ways of living. I had to be willing to set aside selfish motives and actions, and instead, to extend myself to others. Life has endless opportunities to show care and kindness, and the program taught me to come out of my shell and help others whenever the possibility presents itself. Words can’t express how grateful I was to all those that approached me in early sobriety with a handshake, kind word, or friendly gesture. My overwhelming self doubts kept me in isolation, but you pulled me out the darkness with love and kindness. So now, when I see someone sitting alone in a meeting, whether before the meeting or during a break, I make a point to extend myself to that person. I try to make sure to remember their name for the next time we cross paths, and make a beeline for them if I see them again. This extension of kindness only came through my willingness to get out of my comfort zone, and the willingness to take positive action to be of service to others.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"May today there be peace within. May you trust your Higher Power that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let his presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and everyone of you."
St. Theresa’s Prayer
If someone told me in early sobriety that I would be completely content with just a quiet mind and a peaceful heart, I would have discounted this as totally absurd. As I continued to grow emotionally and spiritually, I began to appreciate the true gift of faith in a Higher Power and the overwhelming changes it brings to every aspect of life. Faith, coupled with our encouragement to help others, opened my heart and mind to a more beautiful and kind world. As we began to give back what was so freely given to us, we also began a transformation into a completely different person with a healthier perspective on life. For many of us, there is a distinct intuition that we have found our purpose in life, and that is to simply help others with care and compassion. Our book talks about the Great Reality, and that is that in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of God. The gift of desperation that all of us experienced becomes the gateway to a deep and effective spiritual awakening. When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear. Or more significantly, as a good friend often reminds me, “When the teacher is ready, the pupil will appear.”
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"The home group is where recovery begins; it is where AA members grow up in sobriety by the time-honored process of trial and error, to discover that they can be loved, “warts and all.” It is where they learn to put the needs of others, especially the needs of the group, ahead of their own desires. It is where they first have the opportunity to serve others, and where they learn of opportunities to serve beyond the group. It is where they begin to adopt the guiding principles of AA as working realities in their own sober lives."
The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA, p. 9
In early sobriety, I heard there were three requirements: 1) Get a sobriety date and hold on to it like you life depends on it, because it does, 2) Get a sponsor, and 3) Get a home group. It was clear to me to value my sobriety date, and it was also evident that I needed sponsorship guidance. However, I wasn’t quite sure about a home group. Someone explained to me that a “home group” is the meeting you absolutely don’t want to miss each week. Once I identified my home group, I immediately felt a kinship and ownership to the meeting. Getting a commitment at my home group made total sense, and in turn, that brought me closer to the group. At my home group, the fellowship grew into deep friendships and a family environment. We would meet before and after meetings, as well as other areas of our lives, both good and bad. We were there for each others’ weddings and births of our children. We were also there during difficult times such as funerals or debilitating injuries. My home group taught me how to be a gentleman, but it also taught me life skills such as service, loyalty, teamwork and responsibility (following the rules). I am so grateful for the love and camaraderie that my home group showed me. I will always be deeply appreciative that my home group gave me unconditional support during recovery, unwavering encouragement, and a loving celebration of sobriety milestones and life achievements.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Joy of life seems to arise from a sense of being where one belongs. … All the discontented people I know are trying sedulously (actively) to be something they are not, to do something they cannot do."
–David Grayson–
All too often in life, we become discontented with our conditions, and then the futile search for something to fix us begins. Looking outside ourselves for happiness is like searching for unicorns; we come across many horses, but we end up with a donkey. As newcomers, we were agitated and lost, so trying to “find ourselves” was understandable. We hated ourselves, and we knew we wanted to be anything but what we had become. However, as we gained time, careers, relationships, and other aspects of life, our old agitated thought patterns would rear their ugly head. Instead of looking inward, which can be an uncomfortable proposition, we sought materialistic or other ego driven pursuits. Only after becoming immersed in self- pity do we find the willingness to truly look at ourselves and how our behaviors can lead us to uneasiness. “What lies behind us, and what lies before us, matters little to what lies within us!” Coming to the realization that self is the foundation of all my anxiety or distress was liberating. This epiphany freed me to process deep seated issues that I had suppressed for so long. By facing myself and releasing those things that disabled me, I was able to become whom I really am. Accepting yourself is one of the greatest gifts this program gives us, but it is up to us to take the necessary action. If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way; if it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"As I peel away the layers of day-to-day expediency, I realize that my zigzag, erratic and inconsistent course was in the general direction of progress all the time. That’s good. What right do I have to expect perfection and efficiency in my spiritual growth when the rest of my life is so full of ups and downs, ins and outs, and backs and forths? Throughout this whole adventure, the only consistency I have maintained is an absolute and total faith in AA, come what may."
The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], p. 187
We will all come to points in our sobriety in which we hit a plateau. We feel as if our emotional and spiritual growth has stalled out, and we begin to question, Is this it? Is this the best it’s ever going to be? Sadly, this has lead to many unnecessary slips, and for some, the greatest sacrifice, life itself. However, for some of us, this is all motivation we need to take action and to lean deeper into the program. This can take many faces, whether it be increased service, Big Book study, or retaking the steps on a more profound level. It’s an amazing awareness the day when we realize, We can’t learn what we think we already know, and we set aside all bias or prejudice to look at ourselves in a more meaningful way. As we let this new light flow through us, we find hidden aspects of ourselves that had been locked away in our subconscious. We discover that there are so many more layers in ourselves and life left to to explore and appreciate. When we truly trust the process and move forward, we walk around with a new lease on life, and perspective that opens us to the many opportunities to express our love, care, and kindness towards others.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"How truth makes us free is something that we A.A.'s can well understand. It cut the shackles that once bound us to alcohol. It continues to release us from conflicts and miseries beyond reckoning; it banishes fear and isolation. The unity of our Fellowship, the love we cherish for each other, the esteem in which the world holds us—all of these are products of the truth which, under God, we have been privileged to perceive."
As Bill Sees It, Truth, the Liberator, p. 70
I distinctly remember a speaker in early sobriety that blew me away with her honesty. She was a strikingly beautiful woman that came from an upper socioeconomic background. She shared how her disease ultimately took her to street prostitution. She was very graphic with her description of how bad it became. As she was telling her story, I couldn’t help but think, “How in the world is she able to be so honest!” As I was listening to her, my eyes welled up, and a tear dripped slowly down my face. At that time, I was so far from the truth, I had no idea who I really was. I had lied so much about my dysfunctional past that I started believing my own lies. My deception haunted me. Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” I wanted to be honest, but I had no idea how. Thankfully, the program taught me how to be honest and to find my truths. At every meeting, Chapter 5 is read, and “honesty” is mentioned three times in the first paragraph. Honesty is also the principle of the 1st step and a foundation of our recovery. It was clear that if I wanted sobriety, I would have to get honest with myself and others. In the pursuit of finding my truths, I found myself. I didn’t like what I found at first, but by taking the steps and diving into the program, I was able to shed life’s baggage. I am so grateful that the program allowed me to find the freedom of honesty. Today, I can share my truths and honesty, and hopefully, some newcomers will be inspired to find their truths too.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts of who’s right and who’s wrong. We do that with the people who are closest to us and we do it with political systems, with all kinds of things that we don’t like about our associates or our society. It is a very common, ancient, well-perfected device for trying to feel better. Blame others. Blaming is a way to protect your heart, trying to protect what is soft and open and tender in yourself. Rather than own that pain, we scramble to find some comfortable ground."
~Pema Chodron~
There are three languages an alcoholic must avoid: “victimese,” “denyish,” and “blamen.” You taught me that I’m only a failure if I blame someone else. Admitting our faults was a painful and drawn out process that took complete commitment and willingness. The thought of looking honestly at myself was a completely foreign concept, and I would have rather put a pencil in my eye. Those already in the program for some time seemed content, so I trusted you and the process. A strange thing happened when I began admitting fault rather than blaming others; I didn’t lose credibility, but instead, I actually gained your respect. It was an amazing freedom to be human and fallible. It did not take long for me to come to the realization that by letting my insecurities dictate my actions, like blaming others for my mistakes or discomfort, I would always be a prisoner of my own guilt and shame. By admitting mistakes, I was able to walk with a new brand of dignity, one that covered me with honesty like a warm blanket on a cold night. I am quite certain that if not for the program, I would have never found the freedom of truly being honest with myself and others. It was relentless and unbearable work trying to be right all the time, so today I am so thankful to just be “me,” faults and all.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"When the shadows of my past were placed in the light, I was thankful for the ‘design for living’ that the Twelve Steps provide. It helps me to handle the shock of who I was, who I am today, and who I want to be".
Blythe, Calif., June 2005, From: “The Value of Life”, Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier
One of life’s biggest mysteries is to find whom you really are; the second is to find peace with what you find. Thank God for the program, for it gives us a beautiful design for living. We learn to look at life through a prism of hope, acceptance, gratitude, and spirituality rather than one filled with resentment, fear, anger, self doubt, and all other characteristics that trap us in unhappiness. As we stay sober, we learn that we can apply the principles of the program to every aspect of our lives. Taking the twelve steps releases us of the bondage of our disease, but it can do so much more. We can apply the principles to relationships, career, parenting, and virtually everything of meaning to us. One of the best gifts in this new design for living is the knowledge that “self” is the basis of all my discomfort, and the answer is to simply reach out to help another. I came to the program to stop the obsession of drinking, and this miracle came to fruition, but I ended up finding out that I could reshape my entire life from the miserable person I had become. As I look back on my life, I see that there is very little left of whom I was when I first got sober. Today, I find great comfort in giving myself to others and ensuring that my “design for living” revolves around care, kindness and compassion.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY;"From the beginning, communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. It has been unusual and sometimes unique. Because of our suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart."
The Language of the Heart, p. 243
There is an instant bond and trust built in our fellowship through a common history of pain and suffering. We can hear and apply concepts that we used to reject outright out of obstinacy. I found myself openly taking direction where I used to instantly arch up. What is it that allows us to finally listen to what we need to hear? Quite simply, it is “the language of the heart” that flows through us as we speak in our shares and pitches. The language of the heart is that deep seated honesty that we share to help ourselves and others. We all experience the same difficulties in life in varying degrees, and our openness to expose our frailties touches our hearts and minds in a way we never felt outside the program. As I gained more time, I also came to believe that “the language of the heart” from others at meetings was God speaking through them. I think all of us can acknowledge that we heard something profound at a meeting that changed our life. I’m not sure that God has ever spoken through me, but sometimes I feel like it comes through my writing. There are many times I read back something I wrote, and I can’t help but think that inspiration came from something outside of me. So, language of the heart can take many forms of inspiration or intuitive thought that seems to surface when the message is needed. I truly love the program, and I genuinely love the program’s “language of the heart.”
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY:"He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 62
Growing up Catholic, I would ritualistically go to mass and recite prayers from memory. For the most part, there was a positive spirit in church services and a palpable energy when the whole church sang or said prayers together. However, for me, the meaning of the words got lost in memorization and repetition. I would say the “Lord’s Prayer” with others, but I always felt uncomfortable holding the hands of complete strangers during this exercise that should have been one of personal reflection. Coming into the program, it was a relief that you would recite a prayer I knew at the end of most meetings, because I was clueless about most of what you were saying in “program language and double-speak.” But even then, the words had no particular moving effect on me. Then, at 5 years of sobriety, my daughter was born. For the first time in my life, I knew unconditional love. To this day, my children could do anything, and I would still love them. I might not like their behavior, but I would still love them unconditionally. It occurred to me that the first words of the Lord’s Prayer were, “Our Father…” That was an epiphany for me – I was his “child,” he was my “father,” and as my father, he loves me unconditionally. So now, when we say the Lord’s Prayer at meetings, I remind myself that the God of my understanding is all loving and forgiving. We are all children of God! If not for the openness the program gave me, I would not have had this life changing epiphany.
RECOVERY QUOTE OF THE DAY;Remember the difference between a boss and a leader; a boss says ‘Go!’ - a leader says ‘Let’s go!’"
E.M. Kelly
One of the most lasting and effective philosophies of our program is that “we” do this together. In our twelve steps, there is no “I”, but more importantly, “we” is emphasized in six of the twelve steps. As I was hitting my last bottom, it was crystal clear that my way didn’t work. I was miserable and saw no way out of the living living hell that I had created. The message that this was a “we program” came loud and clear from the very first meeting. I’ve always enjoyed the Chuck C. statement that, “You can do this thing one of two ways; The hard way or the easy way. The hard way is to do it on your own, the easy way is to know you can’t." This philosophy was crucial to my sobriety, but it was also key to relationships with others and any success I had in my career. I was blessed to have risen to the pinnacle of my profession, but I only got there by being completely supportive to others in the organization. Like the program, I tried to create an atmosphere where failure was not fatal, and in so doing, innovation and creativity blossomed. You taught me to admit my faults when things went wrong, and to heap praise on others when things went right. When I retired, I was often asked, “What was your greatest achievement?” I would rattle off what they wanted to hear, usually something they had contributed, but in my mind, the answer was simply, “Getting sober and practicing these principles in all my affairs."
