| People in recovery who are successfully working the | | | | grounded in Higher Power is the primary goal for the |
| Twelve Steps know that AA is a spiritual program. At | | | | spiritual journey. |
| first some people in search of sobriety in recovery are | | | | Spiritual-becoming leads us into deeper mindfulness of |
| turned off when they are told spirituality is the very | | | | the quality of our life on the lives of others. Progressive |
| foundation of AA and the Twelve Steps. Spirituality is | | | | discovery of who we really are makes it possible for |
| often equated with religion, but spirituality is more than | | | | us to penetrate the surface of things and break |
| that and goes deeper; it is the foundation for a religious | | | | through to the interconnectedness of all living things |
| tradition. Religion, according to Webster, is "the | | | | with God. |
| acknowledgment of a Divine Being and a systematic | | | | The disease of addiction cannot be healed but like |
| manifestation in worship, ritual and conduct." | | | | cancer can be held in remission. Treatment, working |
| Many people do not have a systematic worship or | | | | the Twelve Steps and AA empower an addict or |
| ritual and yet are still spiritual. When a person is not | | | | alcoholic to work on maximizing their spiritual life while |
| affiliated to a specific religion, he or she can mistakenly | | | | keeping the disease in check. Too often people with |
| conclude that he or she is not spiritual. Nurturing a | | | | the disease as well as others search outside |
| spiritual life can lead a person to express his or her | | | | themselves for something greater and deeper to |
| connection with God in and through a religious tradition. | | | | satisfy their hunger. Yet what they search for is inside, |
| Yet, spirituality transcends a religion. Every human | | | | intangible and transcendent. Our life-journey is not |
| being is spiritual by virtue of the fact that he or she has | | | | ultimately outside, but a journey inward to a discovery |
| breath or life. | | | | of God within us. In fact, what we search for what we |
| As we progressively struggle through life's positive and | | | | already have, namely the God-given gift of life; our |
| negative moments we can either cultivate the art of | | | | mission is to wake up, foster, and celebrate this |
| living or we can merely survive. | | | | awesome gift. Life's mission is not about getting |
| Spirituality is frequently considered by many people as | | | | attention or things from others but being attentive to |
| some thing to be acquired. For many years I have | | | | and in touch with self, others and Higher Power. |
| worked at Hanley Center, West Palm Beach, Florida, | | | | For years I have urged people yearning for spiritual |
| as a spiritual counselor, and often people ask me, | | | | connection to simply embrace their life and discover |
| "What must do I do to get spirituality or can you help | | | | the extraordinary in the ordinary. To appreciate life as |
| me become more spiritual?" In cases where men and | | | | sacred is to see the "Wow" and awe of being alive. |
| women have been through several Twelve Step | | | | Several years ago I challenged a talented musician, a |
| treatment programs, when asked what is missing in | | | | patient, to compose a song that recounted his journey |
| their life the answer is consistently the same, spirituality. | | | | from abuse to spiritual awakening. His epiphany to |
| The good news is spirituality is not something to | | | | Mystery-Presence and his life-change are reflected in |
| acquire like a possession but rather someone we | | | | these lyrics of Waking Up. |
| already are. Who we are and how we live in | | | | "I know I've been asleep for years, a nightmare that |
| relationship to others is what ultimately expresses our | | | | would never end. |
| spirituality, our lifestyle, and is the foundation for our | | | | Too afraid to face my fears, it seems that I was my |
| existence. | | | | only friend. |
| Given that spirituality is about a way of life, the | | | | I had to admit I was powerless, knew I didn't want to |
| difference for each person becomes the quality of his | | | | die. |
| or her relationships with others. To be mindfully spiritual | | | | My heart cried out for happiness, a miracle was sent in |
| suggests that a person is on a journey of becoming | | | | Love's reply. |
| his or her truest self through recurring phases of | | | | I'm waking up - living in a new light, waking up no more |
| awareness, discovery and breakthrough. | | | | being uptight". |
| Waking up to life with a sense of purpose as | | | | |