Mini Series 13 - The Four Pillars

There are four pillars to recovery, and they are: don’t drink or use (between meetings), go to those meetings (several times a week, at least at first) get a sponsor (and follow his or her advice) and work the 12 steps.

1. “Don’t drink or use between meetings.”  This is harder than it sounds, but it became easier for an ex-drunk like me to understand when it was pointed out that the more frequently, I attended meetings, the less time and opportunity there was to go pick up that first drink.
2. Meetings serve as a school for learning how to live clean and sober, attain a sense of belonging to something greater than oneself, being part of a group of people who “get it”, finding a sponsor, connecting to recovering people whom you can trust, and who could become true friends with whom you can share virtually anything.
3. I know of few, if any, people who have achieved long-term sobriety without the close support of a sponsor, one who has a solid base of sobriety, works the program and sincerely wants to help the next suffering addict or alcoholic. A sponsor is essentially a tour guide through the 12 steps. It is a truism in recovery that “You can’t keep it unless you give it away.”
4. Work the 12 steps. By “work” I mean study them, read about them in the literature, discuss them with your sponsor and do the reflecting, writing and sharing as prescribed. Working the steps takes us on an internal, spiritual journey. It helps us to relieve shame and guilt, get honest with ourselves, make amends wherever necessary and hold ourselves accountable. It’s about finally growing up.