By: Lisa B., Transformations Alumni Coordinator
The AA Promises
1. If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through.
2. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
3. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
4. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
7. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
8. Self-seeking will slip away.
9. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
10. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
11. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
12. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
Alcoholics Anonymous p83-84
Reprinted from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
I remember sitting in my first meeting and listening to someone in the front of the room read the promises as I lingered in a corner off towards the back door. I scoffed under my breath, thinking there was no way that someone like me could experience what they were describing. At the time, my idea of the “promises” coming true in my life was me hitting the lottery and being able to buy anything and everything I wanted, substances included. Imagine a life where you did not need to worry about the cost of your next fix? What a dream that would be, I thought. Little did I know, my idea of the promises at that time surely would have been my death sentence and the last thing that I needed.
At the end of the promises, it reads, “sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.” As I gave the program a chance and completed my 9th step, the promises took on an entirely new meaning, slowly but surely, and my perception of them has continued to evolve well into my 11th year of sobriety. I began to grow as a person in recovery and was amazed by my capabilities. I started to experience a new freedom and happiness without substances as my driving force. My greatest freedom was waking up, taking a sober breath, and having a second chance at life.
I saw beauty in the world again, especially in the simple things money could not buy.
I felt peace, even in the most challenging situations, due to my connection to my higher power and incredible support system.
I became less selfish. I no longer considered monetary accomplishments the ultimate measure of success. Instead, I felt accomplished when I helped others, and my whole attitude on life changed as I realized what I could do if I followed a simple outline of recovery.
Fear of people and economic insecurity no longer ruled my life. At one point, I had let my social anxieties and fear of what others thought dictate how I lived my life. The AA program gave me a new confidence that I never thought possible and connected me to people with whom I was able to form genuine connections. People I did not feel the need to superficially impress.
I also began to feel more stable in my finances. By no means did AA guarantee me I would be rich and never have to worry about bills. Life shows up. Medical emergencies happen. Home repairs are needed. Things can get tough. What it does promise me is that I will no longer be wasting my hard-earned money on things that harm me, and do not align with my values and goals.
Today, I have some incredible things in my life: a family, a home, a good job. AA did not promise me any of those things. They are just a bonus and a result of the tools the program provided me and how I chose to use them. AA did promise me the sense of peace I feel each night as I go to sleep or the sense of fulfillment when I wake up the following day and get another chance at helping others, and that is priceless.
Our Accreditations
