Back from antisocial distancing, the take 12 recovery radio gang is in full force. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. Nothing matters more to recovery than that rigorous honesty. This meant i had to talk about what was really on my mind. Sep 26, 2017 willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. Theya are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty, their. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics. The big book of aa says that the program demands rigorous honesty. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. For instance, i am a believer that our beloved big book was divinely inspired, but i. Rigorous in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Denialis a form of dishonestyit is lying to ones self. One point that seems to emerge is the importance of.
The turning point in my sobriety may have come much, much later, but the struggles we all share never seem to dissipate in spite of everything we have learned. I could understand what was meant by the simple fact that to succeed in this program, an individual must be honest with himself. From there, it spreads gradually to every aspect of our lives. Alcoholic selftest using the big book this study of the book alcoholics anonymous was used as the foundation for this test. No wonder that by the time we reach out for help, it can be hard, as the big book of alcoholics anonymous says, to differentiate the true from the false. The twelve step model has been utilized as a treatment for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. How it works steps 14 i eating disorders anonymous. The 164 and more book, ebook, and web site are all concordances which display passages from the big book alcoholics anonymous, the twelve steps and twelve traditions, and the a. This time highlight and mark the phrases that you can embrace, especially looking at the synonyms, for. Jul 17, 2019 the book alcoholics anonymous, affectionately known by members as the big book, is the textbook for the original 12step recovery program now known by the same name. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a way of life which demands rigorous honesty.
Alcoholism12 step support rigorous honesty what does it mean to you. Dec 09, 2016 when participating in a 12step program, a sponsor will tell a newcomer that rigorous honesty is needed to recover from addiction. Another great aa debate personal honesty soberrecovery. Whats rigorous honesty and how can it benefit my recovery. Aug 17, 2017 these oldtimers in the meetings kept talking about rigorous honesty and what that meant. The acronym how stands for h onesty, o penmindedness, and w illingness. How it works from pages 5860 of the big book of alcoholics anonymous rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. I continuously read from the preface to page 164 in my home group as well as a big book study i am involved in, so i started with the stories in the back, as well as all the appendices.
As mentioned before, the importance of honesty is mentioned multiple times in the big book alone. Aug 24, 2009 rigorous honesty comes about as a process. The authors experience, confirmed time and again over the ensuing decades, taught them that people who cannot be honest with themselves have a poor chance of success even worse than folks with grave. How it works the 12 steps to recovery the recovery zone. Other groups read from the big book weekly and discuss each chapter as they go along. The big book of alcoholics anonymous verywell mind. Join margie, marv, denver, dave and the montyman as they discuss cash register honesty vs rigorous honesty. Rigorous honesty we talk about this life of recovery as being one of rigorous honesty. Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Honesty is printed 19 times in the book alcoholics anonymous and in the twelve steps and twelve traditions.
We admitted we were powerless over alcoholand that our lives had become unmanageable. Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. In aa, honesty begins with our admission of powerlessness and. Rigorous honesty means telling the truth when its easier to lie and. Appendix ii, spiritual experience, alcoholics anonymous, page 567568 this quote from the big book lays out what we need to start recovery and stay in recovery.
It is difficult to remain active in addiction if one is rigorously honest. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery. In trying to make these arrange ments our actor may sometimes be quite virtuous. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of. They lie about the big things and the small things to feel important. Honesty in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Two words kept jumping out at me every time i read chapter five in the big book. The term rigorous honesty is used a lot in alcoholics anonymous, and in the 12 step recovery world generally. I could see the importance of this, but it definitely upped the ante. You can search the alcoholics anonymous big book for phrases, key words, etc. Online big book online twelve steps and twelve traditions online daily reflections original manuscript of the big book. The book alcoholics anonymous, affectionately known by members as the big book, is the textbook for the original 12step recovery program now known by the same name.
To the big books assertion that this way of life demands rigorous honesty. Rigorous honesty also means that you are upfront with your thoughts and feelings even when there may be consequences for those actions. Honesty is the first spiritual principle we begin practicing when we start working the program. We try some honesty at first out of pure necessity. Importance of honesty in recovery great oaks recovery center. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do.
When participating in a 12step program, a sponsor will tell a newcomer that rigorous honesty is needed to recover from addiction. He may, for example, reveal that he has padded his expense account or that he has planned to take your best customers away from you. Although honesty is difficult to practice, it is most rewarding. In chapter five of the aa big book, we read, those who do not recover are incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. For definitions of words such as rigorous and honesty i believe in using the other book that my sponsor strongly suggested i keep next to my bb the dictionary. How it works 61 his arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he wished, the show would be great. The big book, alcoholics anonymous some groups discuss one chapter from the big book each week. The basic text of narcotics anonymous also refers to the importance of honesty. Enough honesty as in the rigorous honesty described on page 58, of the book, alcoholics anonymous. My favorite part of the big book has always been the part of chapter five, how it works that is read at the opening of our meetings. Ben franklin famously said, honesty is the best policy. May 15, 2019 in chapter five of the aa big book, we read, those who do not recover are incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. If you take a closer look at the 12 steps, you will find that honesty is a major part of the steps, and in order to truly work through.
I havent gained as much ground as id hoped on rigorous honesty. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover. The 12step program emphasizes honesty as one of the indispensable tools of recovery and states that anyone can recover from substance abuse if they have the capacity to be honest. Aug 15, 2018 the term rigorous honesty is used a lot in alcoholics anonymous, and in the 12 step recovery world generally. What i believe to be true should be open to investigation. I was so full of desperation that i was willing to listen to anything they had to say. Online books laurel recovery 368 main street laurel. Its original intent was to make clear the need for people to really own and take responsibility for the reality of their lives, both internally and externally. The critical importance of honesty is addressed three times in the first paragraph of the big book chapter that introduces the steps. Why honesty is so important to alcoholics and addicts in. Rigorous honesty is the most important tool we have in learning to live for today.
In short, its making the commitment to be 100 percent honest all of the time. Readings from as bill sees it can inspire sharing on discussion topics. True, you initially asked about rigorous honesty, and then when i answered with rigorous honestly, you asked me if i thought the decisions i made impacted others negatively or hurt others, which is you questioned my ethics, not if i was being honest with myself, but how my decisions directly or indirectly affected others. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. For instance, i am a believer that our beloved big book was divinely inspired, but i do not believe it is infallible. There is a phrase in the big book of alcoholics anonymous chapter 5 which refers to alcohol as cunning, baffling, and powerful. And when doing a 12step program, the big book states, nothing counted but thoroughness and.
Fourth dimension from page 25 in the big book freedom freedom from bondage friendship fun gifts of the program god as i understand him gossip gratitude greed, gluttony, having enough growth growth through pain guilt handling failure handling success happiness happy, joyous and free higher power holidays honesty rigorous honesty hope. As a matter of fact, honesty is referred to three times on the first page of chapter five. I have to be willing to let someone else know exactly what i am thinking and feeling. This time highlight and mark the phrases that you can embrace, especially looking at. A program of rigorous honesty alcoholics anonymous. I have been hurt by beeing honest, i have seen others hurt by being honest, i have hurt other when being honest until i learnt 2 things. The first step to correcting this situation is to get honest and admit that there is a real problem. Zoom meetings laurel recovery 368 main street laurel. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics anonymous. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot.
Jun 09, 2015 without honesty, there is no recovery or perhaps only the type of survivalbased recovery that falls far short of fulfilling. We discover we can go deep into the cave of truth and become more free and at ease. Reread and highlight chapter 4 in the big book, in a different color. Honesty, openmindedness, willingness harmony place. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable. It begins with the honest admission that we have the disease and that we need help. How im learning to practice rigorous honesty in recovery the fix. Purchase this entire big book recording in mp3 format to listen on your computer or phone. No addiction without lies, no recovery without truth.
We admitted we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable. The original 1st step, as published in 1939 in the book alcoholics anonymous, reads. In fact, he may say almost anything if he has accepted our solution which, as you know, demands rigorous honesty. Mar, 2017 as mentioned before, the importance of honesty is mentioned multiple times in the big book alone. Why honesty is so important to alcoholics and addicts in recovery. It requires a valiant effort but through rigorous honesty, addicts. Also, enjoy some covid19 parody songs and remember not to take yourself too seriously. In the years since, numerous words have been substituted for alcohol by individual. These oldtimers in the meetings kept talking about rigorous honesty and what that meant. Without honesty, there is no recovery or perhaps only the type of survivalbased recovery that falls far short of fulfilling. As we attend meetings, talk with other alcoholics, attend meetings, read the big big book and the big book, attend meetings, pray and meditate and attend meetings, do our best to be as honest as we can that day, then tomorrow, when we attend a meeting we can be even more rigorously honest. If you or anyone you know suffers from an addiction of any kind, then you know that these words are true. Aug 22, 2016 no wonder that by the time we reach out for help, it can be hard, as the big book of alcoholics anonymous says, to differentiate the true from the false.
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