I Am . . . Nurturing Affirmations for Myself

When I first entered Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), I started hearing the stories of people. Regardless of culture, racial origin, economic stature, or sex, all of the stories reflected the journeys alcoholics took to arrive at A.A.’s doorstep. It was in hearing the journey of others that I began to get well. My alcoholism was not stronger than my humanity. Thank God!

In the years of working in the treatment of addictions, I have learned that the journeys of alcoholics and drug addicts are very similar. The primary difference is drug of choice. Addiction is the disease. That is why both A.A. and N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous) and the many twelve step groups that have been birthed from the original all use the basic twelve steps, substituting different words for the powerless concept.

What a powerful gift Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith have given the world! We need our separate groups and communities, but we come together in the twelve steps. For this reason, I have shared my understanding of the twelve steps to alcoholics, cocaine addicts, pill addicts, gamblers, food addicts, and sex addicts, to name a few. The formula to recovery is the twelve steps. Although, I present this workbook mainly in the language of Alcoholics Anonymous, it is intended to be used for any person in recovery from the disease of addiction.

I grew up with a storyteller. My father was more entertaining than any of the television personalities. I have remembered the joy of listening to his stories and retained the messages long after the life of his words. The parables in this book are stories that touched me personally in my recovery and have sustained me through the years, helping me work anew the twelve step program. It is my hope that they will provide the same for you.