When we talk about recovery from addiction, a key concept is willingness. Ask yourself, what was I willing to do to get that drug? Drive in a snowstorm to somewhere miles away in hopes that you might be able to score? Call everyone and anyone you know who might have a line on where you might find what you’re looking for? If you’re an addict like me, you know what I’m talking about. Now take that same quality and apply it to your recovery. How far are you willing to go to find a new way to live? What are the “yea, buts” that get in the way of your recovery? You know, “YEA, I want to recover BUT you can’t expect me to do that!” Are you willing to commit to making as many meetings as it takes to get a handle on the basics of recovery? Are you willing to take a risk and ask someone to be your sponsor? Are you willing to give up the people, places and things that were a central part of your using life? Taken all at once, such questions can seem overwhelming but we don’t have to do it all at once. We work, one day at a time, to become willing to do the things that can return us to life and give us a chance to escape the misery of addiction. If we can can become willing, the rest will follow.
