The concept of a higher power and spiritual awakening is enough to put many people off Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Step Programme. At the start, all we have to do is be open to the possibility that a power greater than our self might be able to help us and that we might experience the so-called ‘spiritual awakening’. This does not have to be like a thunderbolt or a visit from an angel – it can be a gradual process. Just be open to the possibility!
I met someone recently who believed that there was something significant in a robin that visited her in her garden every day. She first noticed the robin on the day her husband died and it then seemed to come every day and she was convinced it had something to do with him and his death. We can ridicule her but the robin gave her great comfort and can we know for certain that there was not something that could be true about her belief?
Higher Power
I have also heard a story about a newcomer in America who said he would go to an AA meeting each day that a chipmunk appeared at his bus stop. He knew if he did not go to a meeting, he would go home to drink instead but he still chose to let the appearance of the chipmunk decide whether or not he was to stay sober. The chipmunk appeared every day for 90 days and he did his recommended 90 meetings in 90 days. This could be a coincidence – but by being open to a higher power in the form of a chipmunk, this man got well on his way to a solid sobriety.
Group Of Drunks
We have all thought that alcohol was the answer – this is very much a lower power. It failed – so why not try a higher power instead? Many people start by looking for a higher power in their AA meetings – God being a Group Of Drunks. If this works for you, at least for a while, fair enough. In the end, it is likely that something more personal to you will become your higher power.
Spiritual Awakening
As part of accepting the higher power concept, we also need to accept that things might not happen according to our timetable i.e. now – but that we might have to wait for them to happen at what we will eventually see is the right time for us. So it might be a little while before our families trust us again; it may be that some things such as a relationship will never be restored to us. We need to trust that everything is happening for a reason and that all will become clear in the end – and that we are learning and growing from our day to day experiences.
In this way, we will change for the better – and it may be that one day, in a flash moment, we will see what we have achieved and that something out there has been with us and working for us!
The Haynes Clinic is an alcohol and drug rehab clinic which offers detox and counselling for people with addictions.
Call 01462 851414 for free and confidential advice.
