Home
 

spirituality

What goes on at a 12-Step meeting?

If you have never set-foot in a 12-Step meeting, the whole thing can seem a little intimidating.  Following is a format that most anonymous meetings follow, more-or-less.  It is my hope that if you know what to expect ahead of time, you will be more likely to stop-by and check one out. When you first arrive.  …Continue reading →

0
07
Mar

What is “prayer?”

When I first started-out on my “spiritual quest,” I thought that prayer meant what I did when I got on my knees beside my bed and recited something I had memorized in CCD class but barely understood.  Wrong!  I have since learned that it is what I do any time that I talk to God …Continue reading →

16
06
Mar

Sponsors Are NOT Your Higher Power

One of the most difficult lessons for those new to 12 Step programs to learn is the fact that, sooner or later, their sponsors will let them down.  Why?  Two reasons: newcomers tend to put their sponsors on pedestals, and sponsors are only human.  But rather than seeing this as a limitation, try to look at it as …Continue reading →

0
06
Mar

12 Step Meetings Talk About “God”

When I first came into OA, back in 1988, I was a “non-practicing Catholic.”  I actually took pride in that title and felt justified in turning my back on a religion that, aside from the few times I felt caught-up in the choir music, did nothing for me.  At my first meeting, I was not …Continue reading →

18
06
Mar

The White Tiger

The first time I tried Creative Visualization, I had very low expectations.  After all, I had been trying for weeks to do five minutes of “quieting my mind”-type meditation daily and had repeatedly failed.  Every 30 seconds I would open my eyes and peek at the clock, wondering why time suddenly seemed to be standing …Continue reading →

0
06
Mar

Forget What You Know (a.k.a. “Step 0.5″)

As you cross the threshhold into your first 12-Step meeting, try to leave all your mental baggage at the door.  (You can have it back on your way out, I promise!)  Just try for that hour or that hour-and-a half to put aside all of your pre-conceived ideas about what you expect to get from …Continue reading →

26
03
Mar

What are “The 12 Steps?”

The 12 Steps are the instructions on how to break-free from addicition.  In the original steps, they only referred to alcohol, but they have since been adapted to work for any “drug of choice.”  The 12 Steps are taken directly from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (see “12-Step Links” on the side of this …Continue reading →

25
03
Mar

What is “The Big Book?”

“The Big Book” is the book that all 12-Step programs are based upon.  The actual title of the book is “Alcoholics Anonymous,” (which is where the name of the first 12-Step groups came from), but over time it has come to be known as The Big Book.  It was written in 1939 by Bill Wilson.  After …Continue reading →

0
03
Mar
Copyright © 2024 Diary of a Food-Fighter. All Rights Reserved.