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Meetings, Steps, Service

When I was drinking I did the same things over and over again expecting different results, but the results never changed. I got drunk and said and did stupid things. As a newcomer in Alcoholics Anonymous, I did what the happy-looking people in the room did: I went to a lot of meetings, continuously worked the steps, and took service positions. The obsession to drink was removed and my life began to get better.

I wasn't satisfied. I wanted my life to get great. So I continued to do the same things over and over again, meetings, steps, service, expecting my life to continue to get better and better. I expected that as long as I was committed to my AA program I could avoid the painful stuff. Wrong!  Life got good for a while and then the you-know-what hit the fan. I lost jobs, faced health issues, endured financial disasters. I'm learning that life is a wonderful, awful mix. Life on life's terms does not always feel good, but it always feels real.

Today I continue to do the same things over and over again: meetings, steps, service, but I no longer go to Alcoholics Anonymous because I'm worried about drinking or for the good it might bring me. I go because I enjoy it. AA does not promise unending bliss or spiritual light shows, but it does promise a useful and contented life. By doing the same things over and over again: meetings, steps, service, this promise has come true for me.