A wonderful little book arrived in my mailbox the other day from the good people at All Addicts Anonymous. It’s called How to Get Going: On the All Addicts Anonymous Way of Life — a program of recovery for all addicts and all addictions. They’re a Twelve Step group based on the principles of oldtime AA and applying those principles to all manner of difficulties. Here’s an excerpt from the book:
“Hang on to God”
from Chapter 5: “Beginning Your Recovery: What to Hang On To”
How to Get Going (c) All Addicts Anonymous 2009
“The first source of help to which an addict needs to turn — first in the order of time and first in the order of importance — is God. This is not a matter of religion or philosophy but simply a matter of fact. It is the power of God which enables addicts to recover. Without that power, there are very few recoveries.
“Now there are a lot of different opinions about God, but we are not talking about God as an opinion but as a living power. You have to remember that you are an addict, not a professor. Do not waste time theorizing about God. What you do is get in touch with God by the simple and direct means of talking to God — that is, by plain, old, ordinary prayer. Every nitwit knows how to pray; the knack here is to do it. No preliminary ducking or bobbing in necessary. Just do it.
Do not waste energy debating about God. Take God as a possibility — a working hypothesis. Make the experiment of getting in touch. This comes ahead of everything else, and anybody can do it. You can do it. Millions of alcoholics and drug addicts (many of them atheists) have made this experiment and proved to themselves that there is a Power greater than themselves who responds and give real, practical, effective help when called on. All real recovery begins here. It makes no difference whether you are a believer or not. If you are not, start by praying to the God you don’t believe in. Just park your objections for a while, and do it as an experiment.”
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