I work with a lot of people who are in recovery from some type of addiction. Many of them use the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous in their recovery work. Why the 12 Steps? Because as many are fond of saying about the steps, “they work if you work them”. Wisdom there!
I remember at one point, one of the attenders of our Next Step recovery service remarking that he had a problem with a co-worker, and he was going to do a 4th step to try to work on mending the rift at his workplace. The workplace issue had nothing to do with his use/abuse of alcohol- he had a solid 5 years of recovery and clean time by then. He decided that using the 12 Steps in everyday situations was also a good way to live. He was right.
That 4th Step he was talking about involved doing a personal inventory of his own- essentially asking, “what part might I have played in this problem?” This man had incorporated the 12 Steps into his life so thoroughly that he used them to deal with many life problems that arose. Of course, this was also a way to ensure that he did not relapse into alcohol as a “quick fix” or avoidance of problems like he had earlier in life.
I have never forgotten the value and wisdom that he showed in his self-management of problems. The wisdom of the 12 Steps is straight forward and effective. As they said in the Next Step community, “recovery is not just for alcoholics anymore…”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the simple wisdom that comes from the humility and authenticity of recovery principles, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 